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MARK (M) Tell us a little about yourself - when did you become interested in film and filmmaking? Your biography says that you’re a self-taught filmmaker so I would love to know how you developed your craft and skills.

LENA (L) I have always enjoyed exploring life on this beautiful earth through art and creation. For me, film means to bring the most aesthetic forms of art together in one medium, whether it is photography, music or philosophy. I began learning about filmmaking by picking up my father’s old camera and simply pressing the record button. Also, the internet is just an amazing place to teach yourself anything. With each project I made, I learned more and more so I am excited to see what is still yet to come.

On Robert Stefan

M Can you tell us a little about how you met and got to share Robert’s story? Why were you interested in telling his story?

L Robert and I are both studying in Innsbruck, Austria, and we met two years ago. In one of our first encounters he told me that he wanted to go for a swim. It was winter and the nearby river was about 2 degrees cold! First I thought he was joking, but I learned he was dead serious when I saw him walk into the ice cold water right in front of me. He later told me about his early childhood, where he broke into a frozen lake and almost died from the cold. I was fascinated by his ability to transform an event that frightened him into something he confronted to improve his confidence and health, physically and mentally. Whenever a person takes back their power and does not let past events control their life, I find this to be a story worth telling.

M And was the film shot over a long or short period? How did your time with Robert shape the themes and vision of your film?

L We shot in the winter of 2019/2020. The shooting days were portioned throughout several winter months since it was difficult to factor in the weather. Sometimes we had to be very spontaneous, I would call Robert and say “it’s snowing tomorrow, want to go for a swim at 6 o’clock?”.

Unfortunately, the pandemic put an end to our work and I could not finish what I originally planned. However, I tried to make a virtue of necessity and work with the footage that I had already shot. So the pandemic made me take a different approach and try to find a more thoughtful and almost poetic voice.

I suggested to Robert that we should replace our original interview style with a narrative voice-over. He was open to this idea so as soon as it was possible, we started working on finding the right words to the images. It took several tries and we recorded for almost three hours. Finding the golden thread in our interviews and cutting down so many interesting topics pushed me to learn and grow the most as a filmmaker.

On Pacing

M I really love the film’s pacing - you’re not afraid to hold on certain shots and create breathing space between moments. Where do you think this instinct and inspiration comes from?    

L I would like to start a conversation about what nowadays, in our highly civilized world, nature means to us. It was important to me to leave room for the thoughts of the viewers. My plan was not to dictate what the audience should think and feel, instead I am hoping people have time to process their thoughts on Robert’s story.

I chose a slow pacing with enough room for the inspiration that can be found in nature. A calm and steady scenery can add to my inner peace and stability. On the other hand, extreme weather, freezing wind and ice cold water can be a humbling reminder that we as humans are not on top of a hierarchy, but rather part of a system. Furthermore, I wanted to emphasize the endurance and persistence that Robert showed in his encounter with the cold. It was only logical for me to ask for a fraction of this perseverance from my audience too.

‘Whenever a person takes back their power and does not let past events control their life, I find this to be a story worth telling’

— Lena Lavia

On Inspiration

M What are some of the films and who are some of the filmmakers that inspire you, and why?

L One filmmaker that inspired me is Christopher Thomson with his documentary The New Wild (2017). It is about abandoned places, villages that are not inhabited anymore due to urban out-migration. There are no subjects in this film, no humans, whose stories are told. Nevertheless, Christopher Thomson still manages to tell a moving story. People have told him that it is impossible to make a film without a subject, but he did it and found an audience that enjoyed it.

I talked to Christopher after watching his documentary, he encouraged me to continue making films and not to listen to anyone telling me what I cannot do in film. It takes a lot of bravery to try new approaches so it was a really nice reminder for me.

On The Future

M What are you planning to make next?

L I am currently working on another documentary where I am doing everything from directing to shooting as well as editing. For future projects, I am hoping to find more people to work with on shooting narratives. If you’re interested, you can learn more about my projects here.

Mark’s Final Thoughts

• I loved reading Lena’s ideas and thoughts behind the film’s calm and slow pacing. I think she achieves her goal because it’s honestly hard not to be inspired by the sheer beauty of the mountains and her terrific compositions.

• Once again I’m moved by the kind words of a filmmaker when discussing their practice and process. Lena talking about feeling honoured to partake in capturing and sharing the key moments of a person’s life reminds me of Dorothy Allen-Pickard and Helen Takkin highlighting their friends as key collaborators and inspirations. All of which are beautiful perspectives and reminders to help keep yourself grounded and focused on what’s truly important when making films.

• And I haven’t seen The New Wild but it looks and sounds very interesting, click here to see the trailer!

  Tags Cinematography Death Documentary Landscape Live-action Narration

Want to Learn More? Click here for insight into Lena’s challenging process of shooting in the cold mountains.

The founder of Hommage, Mark Shaba published this interview on 10.11.2021. Mark is a filmmaker from Victoria, Australia. He respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners of the land on which he creates, promotes and screens art, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who are the custodians.