I was waiting for the godfather of the film production of Iceland Frederic Fredrickson in the hotel lobby. His contribution is very big, even though the show of one of his first short-length movies was failed and the film producer had to leave from Reykjavik. The reason why this movie was failed was the fact that Frederic tried to interpret the epos of Iceland in a non-traditional manner. His first full-length movie (1987) attracted the special attention of the jury at the movie festival of Locarno. He worked with famous scenario writers and specialists. Frederickson founded the first film journal in Iceland, was one of the authors of the movie festival of Reykjavik in 1978, represented Iceland at the Oscar festival for the first time, in 1990 established the most powerful film company in Iceland (Icelandic Film Corporation) and cooperates with a number of very important and famous companies. While I was thinking about all these achievements, he entered the hall of the hotel. During the conversation he was speaking with a low voice and sometimes staring her blue eyes at some point and waiting for the next question.
– I am very happy to meet with the godfather of the Icelandic film production. Was it difficult to earn this title?
– There is nothing easy in this life. Always everything is difficult everywhere.
– You say that the cruelty of the reality is in the base of the dream (in the movie “The Angels of space”). How can we understand this idea?
– In the base of this film there is a real story. It is the story of one of my best friends. As I knew him very well I initiated to film a movie. That’s all. With this movie I tried to change something because I don’t know why people are separating the healthy from the sick in the society. When someone has cancer, people feel sorry for him, but if someone has mental disability, they blame him. It is really very strange. I hope my film would change something.
– People like dreaming and it seems that they should be careful of dreaming as well. Why?
– Maybe. People should also control their dreams.
– You say that the American movie production is like fast-food. What are the problems of the modern movie production?
– It is not a secret for us that the American films are killing people’s time. About five million people in the world are opening such restaurants and producing such food. Every nation should have their own film production, which should not be like the American one and should be specific and exclusive. You should look for the differences and highlight those differences. For example, I want to see your culture, like the movies of Parajanov.
– By the way, are you in Armenia for the first time?
– Yes, this is my first visit but not the last. I will be back.
– Mr. Frederickson, as a jury member of the Golden Apricot international festival, are you impressed by the movies?
– O, it’s a wonderful festival and the films are very good. I will tell my friends too as soon as I go back to Iceland.
– Are you familiar with the Armenian movie production?
– Unfortunately I am not familiar with the Armenian movies that much and I cannot make any comments. The only thing I can say is that my favorite Armenian film producer is Sergey Parajanov.
– What is the life and what is the film? What is the relation between these two?
– What is the life compared to the film? The film is trying to reflect the life. The only thing we are doing is making the nations to look into the mirror. Of course sometimes it is not so easy for nations as it may seem to be.
– What is the film producer doing? Is his role always the same?
– The film producer’s role has always been like that to warn people about something and do it in a manner as you see the environment around you.
– You say that the national film production is important, which seems to be endangered because of globalization. What prospects does the film have?
– Certainly I believe the film production of small nations is very important. Even more, it is not only important but essential because the image of a nation is reflected by its own film production.
– You are creating mysteries that people believe in, do you believe in them too?
– The history is very natural for us. It is what we are calling. It is natural for me and I am not insisting on others to believe too. For example, for me these mysteries can be natural but I don’t make others to believe in them too.
– It seems you have an exclusive attitude to the Japanese culture.
– I like Japanese films very much.
– Mr. Frederickson, how can the national film production be developed? For example, the Armenian one.
– Should I answer this question (he laughs)? O, no, I will give that answer next time when I come to Armenia.