David Aristizábal is a Colombian filmmaker working professionally in the United States. He began his career in his native Colombia before coming to the United States to study at the University of Southern California, a school whose alumni includes George Lucas and Bryan Singer. David has recently won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (that's the guys that give out Oscars!) Student Award for his beautiful documentary "A Second Chance" about a veteran who recovers from PTSD thanks to a rescue dog.
LT: When did you first start to be interested in film?
I first started to be interested in film at the end of high school. And then when I graduated I went to film school in college. In high school I was in the theater club but I was more interested in the technical part with the lights etc. and then I did a bit of acting which is how I first got interested. I was just interested in telling stories.
LT: And who were some of you favorite directors growing up?
I really liked Ingmar Bergman. He was the first choice growing up. He was my favorite. I also liked the German directors from the 70s. And then my taste shifted a little bit and I started to be interested in American cinema and Hollywood directors.
LT: What was the first film you remember making?
Oh that was a long time ago. It was about a girl who was very into her dreams and then lost the ability to tell the difference between dreams and reality. So it was your typical soulful story.
LT: What about "1000 Pesos Colombianos"? How did that idea start?
Well that was interesting because at that particular moment in Colombia the 1000 peso coin was the coin with most value. And for some reason they made the coin very easy to forge, and so that’s what many people started doing. And so it became kind of a nightmare because every time you got to pay for something or you get change you have to make sure you didn’t get forged coins. So at that moment it was something very present in people’s everyday lives so we thought that that was a very good situation that would lend itself for an interesting story. And that’s why we decided to make the movie. At the time it wasn’t a lot of money, it was like 50 cents: but people but so much effort into avoiding getting one or trying to make one or trying to get rid of it, and suddenly this coin had value. So we thought that was a really interesting observation. It’s also about how people complain all the time about corruption but it’s like these little actions are the ones contributing to corruption – people are putting wood into the fire.
LT: What’s the film scene like in Colombia?
Well it’s very interesting because in the past ten years we’ve had a couple of laws that are helping production. And we are also getting tax breaks. So at the moment I think it’s the highest rate of production we’ve ever had. People are making a lot more movies than was the case 15 or 20 years ago. And also a lot of films are getting recognition at international festivals, so it’s good. But I still don’t know if those projects are really breaking even to create a solid industry. But at least we have a bit of help from our government which is a big improvement.
LT: What made you decide to go to USC (University of Southern California)?
I’ve always wanted to do a masters, that was always my plan. And then at some point I was working in Colombia and I felt like I wanted to learn more about filmmaking especially about other trades like cinematography and editing and lighting so it felt like a good time for me to go and learn. Then I also met other students from Latin America and the rest of America and so I knew it was going to be a really great opportunity.
LT: And how did you start with Second Chance?
Well one day I was waiting at a doctor’s office and I started reading this magazine. I was reading this article about service dogs that were being trained veterans with PTSD. So I thought it would make a perfect subject for a documentary. And I was also very interested in the veterans because I come from Colombia and then when I was in Colombia I had the chance to work with the military on a couple of documentary subject. I felt that sometimes people have distorted perception of veterans because inevitably people associate them with war but people don’t realize that sometimes people don’t have a choice, they didn’t have other options. Yet some people tend to judge them very harshly. I wanted to show another side of veterans and sometimes they’re not very different from us, they just came back with a lot of problems. So I was very interested in showing that and also showing that sometimes just the little things can really help a lot, so I was really interested in showing the story of a rescue dog saving someone’s life.
LT: Do you see yourself going more towards documentary or fiction features?
Well ideally both. I mean sometimes it’s hard because when you start going down one track, all the work and opportunities are focused on that, but ideally I’d like to do that. Because I’m interested the film language. And I’d like to make documentaries that have a similar structure to narrative film and at the same time when I’m making fiction I’m always trying to have a very realistic take on it. So I like going back and forth.
LT: How did you feel when you won the Student Academy Award?
Well that was an amazing experience. They treat you really well for a couple of days, they take you to a lot places within the Academy and inside different studios. We met a lot of interesting people. I would never dream that I would meet these members of the Academy and then to have them tell you what they thought about your work, it was just incredible.
LT: Speaking of the Academy Awards, what do you think of Cuarón winning the Oscar on Sunday? How significant is it for Latin American filmmakers?
Well that was amazing. I mean from a directing point of view, it was so innovative, the cinematic language, all the boundaries that that film pushed: I was very glad they acknowledged that. And also with Emmanuel Lubezki who was the cinematographer. I totally agreed with that. I mean it might not have been as strong as a whole as “12 Years A Slave” because that film had a very strong emotional narrative, but this film, “Gravity,” from a visual point of view it’s really groundbreaking. I mean it’s the best 3D film ever made.
LT: What are your plans for the future?
Well right now I’m developing a couple of projects. I’m working on a feature with a friend about the decision-making process. About how based on experience in life you can change your mind on major things. For example your political stance – the way some people change their views very dramatically. So about how that change happens neurologically. I’m also developing a documentary about the Dreamers Movement. It’s been 12 years now since the Dream Act has been trying to go through Congress and nothing has happened, so understanding why such an important piece of legislation hasn’t had success. It’s about studying the political dynamics and the fact that a lot of these dreamers are growing old and a lot of them don’t fit into the Dreamer category, so that’s a very interesting and ironic project.
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