IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE

A FILm by FLOrIN SErbANSTArrING

GEOrGE PISTErEANUADA CONDEESCU

CLArA VODAmIHAI CONSTANTIN

mArIAN brATUCHILIbAr PAPAN

PrODUCED by

CATALIN mITULESCU, DANIEL mITULESCUromania/Sweden – 2010 – Thriller – 94 min – Colour – romanian

www.vreausafluier.ro

˘˘

˘

CELLULOID DrEAmS2 rue Turgot 75009 Paris

T : + 33 1 4970 0370 F : + 33 1 4970 0371

info@celluloid-dreams.com www.celluloid-dreams.com

WOrLD SALES

SyNOPSISSilviu has only 5 days left before his release from the juvenile detention centre. but 5 days becomes an eternity when his mother returns from a long absence to take his younger brother away. A brother whom he raised like a son. moreover, he has fallen in love with a beautiful social worker. With time running out and his emotions boiling over, Silviu closes his eyes... Freedom, the wind, the road, his first kiss. Anything can happen to him now...

INTErVIEW WITH FLOrIN SErbAN

How did the idea for the film come about?

Catalin, my co-screenwriter and Andreea Valean, the author of the theater play IF I wAnT To whIsTle, I whIsTle, visited a re-education centre more than ten years ago. Andreea then wrote the play and Catalin the first draft of the script. Two years ago, Catalin sent it to me and asked me if I wanted to work on it. I read it and couldn’t take my mind off it. I’ve worked on the story for a year and a half. It went through a lot of changes and countless drafts. But the crucial changes came when I first started working with the boys from the penitentiary. During this time I started to get to know them, to understand some of the reasons for their mistakes, to finally understand how many of their actions had been influenced by their families, the environment they come from and last but not least, by all of us, the ones outside those prison walls.

Which elements of the film go back to the original play? What did you add or change?

we had to change a lot to adapt from the original play to the medium of film with its different restrictions and of course quite different audience. The most important things that we kept were the spirit and attitude of the inmates, the bold, uncompromising, somehow childish way of thinking and jumping into action without caring too much for the consequences. The determination of reaching a goal no matter what it takes to get there. The title was kept from the original play, as well as the kidnapping of the girl. we focused on silviu. we considerably changed his character, he is more human, more vulnerable than in the play and the reasons for his actions are different. we fought to make him more sympathetic, more likeable. we took away a sort of dreamlike feel that was surrounding his escape. In fact we changed quite a few details, the character of the mother and his younger brother were all additions, as is the motif of his approaching release from prison. The dynamic inside the prison hierarchy, Ursu’s character, we added more humanity and nuances to the head of the penitentiary - and we also changed the ending.

˘˘

˘˘˘˘

˘

How did you work with the nonprofessional actors who were real convicts?

working with the boys took more than two months and it consisted of an acting workshop held in two of the Minors’ and Youth Penitentiaries in Romania: Craiova and Tichilesti. First criteria for the selection was their willingness to be part of the project, then their seriousness. however, even if I had only considered these two aspects, I would have ended up with more than a hundred boys.

The ones who were selected to act in the film were the boys who proved to be talented, serious, committed and who didn’t have major misbehavior problems in previous months.

I wasn’t expecting to find children so committed, so willing to do something. Many are very clever and naturally sharp from the years spent in prisons and orphanages. some of them are incredibly talented, some were born to be actors and I hope, with all my heart, to be able to work with at least two of them on my future projects. I’m even thinking about writing a screenplay for one of them. working with them has been a real joy and a chance for great discovery. It was one of those experiences that mark you forever. I hope these feelings are mutual.

si inabissano, lasciando scoperti i sassi dei greti asciutti, come deserti, acque trattenute dalle dighe tra le gole delle montagne, una terra che trema e freme: la natura che ti accerchia, pronta a riprendersi quello che le hai strappato o che hai cercato di governare, pronta a rompere gli argini e a travolgerti in una notte di tempesta. E a liberare la parte animale che è in te. Come in Shakespeare. C’è un “prima”, c’è una notte tempestosa e c’è un “dopo”.Ci sono tre personaggi: c’è un re, padre-padrone, c’è un figlio-principe adolescente e c’è un “fool”, un matto, un buffone. E, spesso, i personaggi di Shakespeare nel primo atto si raccontano al pubblico, nel secondo atto naufragano su isole deserte, si perdono di notte in boschi intricati o in lande desolate nel mezzo di una tempesta e, nel terzo atto, escono trasformati da quell’esperienza.Gli adolescenti crescono e il padre, dio, re, padrone appare ai loro occhi, finalmente, solo come un uomo.Anche il padre rino, il figlio Cristiano e il fool Quattro Formaggi, si ritrovano di notte, in un bosco, durante una tempesta…

rino, Cristiano e Quattro Formaggi sono tre personaggi scomodi, tre persone che non vorremmo incontrare, tre disgraziati che hanno imboccato la “cattiva strada”. Definitivamente soli, alla ricerca di una qualsiasi identità, magari, come nel caso di rino, preconfezionata e costruita per giustificare la rabbia che nasce in conflitti scatenati da ragioni economiche o che nasconde quel senso di disperazione che sempre più spesso abita questi anni in cui viviamo.ma, come canta De André: “C’è amore un po’ per tutti e tutti quanti hanno un amore sulla cattiva strada”.Abbiamo dovuto camminare al loro fianco. Li abbiamo osservati con comprensione, a volte con affetto, anche se dicono e fanno cose spaventose.

Ho dovuto condividere questo amore tra rino e suo figlio, questo amore assoluto, totale e sbagliato, che invidio e che non so se sarei capace di provare.

rendere “leggera” la parte tecnologica. Non far sentire agli attori la macchina da presa, le luci, la scenografia, i microfoni. Dare libertà. Non cercare altri punti di vista se non quello di un osservatore in mezzo ai personaggi, molto vicino a loro. Ad altezza d’uomo. E’ solo Dio che guarda il mondo dall’alto. ma dov’è Dio in questa landa desolata? Il film è girato praticamente tutto con la macchina in spalla, muovendoci con gli attori, spiandoli senza dare loro riferimenti fissi. Li abbiamo seguiti sotto la pioggia o nel fango, ci siamo infilati nelle loro risse o nei loro abbracci, senza interromperli, infradiciandoci e sporcandoci con loro.Ci siamo buttati addosso più di 150.000 litri d’acqua oltre alla pioggia, quella

INTErVIEW WITH FLOrIN SErbAN

The first to say it was Niccolò Ammaniti himself; To make a film out of his 500-page novel with its multitude of surprising, tragic and comic characters, you have to be brutal and be ready to leave out so much. What is important is to get to the heart of the novel, to the father-son relationship that is the emotional life-blood of the story, to forego the human and social tableau and focus on the ancestral dimension of this rapport: a wolf and his cub.

Unlike “I’m Not Scared”, which faithfully follows the novel it is based on, here we had to cut, wound and at times, betray the source material. There are films that, like children, grow and little by little take on a life of their own. And when you choose the actors, which is already half of the job of building up a character, it is nice then to see them interpret the music you have written and, maybe, change it. That way, you get an impression that it’s new. And you envisage perfectly well the locations in which you want to set your film. but then you arrive in a place, look at the sky or the gravely bank of a river, and the story you want to tell just blooms, it lights up, it gains strength, even though that place is so different from the one you had in mind.This film changed so many times in our minds, but one day it grew up and looked us straight in the eye, and we had to reckon with it.

Industrial sheds, factories, terrace houses, shopping centres, huge sawmills, masses of trees cut down and piled tidily… but around, all around, the mountains and impenetrable woods, the river levels that drop, uncovering the pebbles on the banks as dry as deserts, waters held back by the dams among the mountain gorges, a land that trembles and shakes: nature surrounding you, ready to take back what you have grasped from her or what you have tried to control, ready to break its banks and overwhelm you one stormy night. And to set free the animal that is in you. Its like a Shakespeare play. There is a “before”, there is a stormy night and there is an “after”. There are three characters: there is a king, a father-master, there is a son-adolescent prince and there is a “fool”, a buffoon. And, often, in the first act, Shakespeare’s characters tell the audience about themselves, in the second act are shipwrecked on desert islands, get lost at night in tangled woods or in desolate lands in the middle of a storm and, in the third act, come out of that experience transformed. The adolescents grow up and the father, god, king or master finally appears to their eyes a mere man. Also the father, rino, the son Cristiano and the fool, Quattro Formaggi, all end up in a wood one night, during a storm…rino, Cristiano and Quattro Formaggi are three awkward characters, three people we would not like to meet, three wretches who are on the road to perdition. Alone once and for all, in search of an identity. In the case of rino, pre-prepared and constructed to justify

The hardest challenge was to gain their trust. To make them realize that I’m not using them or patronizing them, that I consider them normal children who made mistakes. some of them have done terrible things, but I didn’t once judge them for this. They are being judged too fast. Things change fundamentally the moment people start seeing them differently, not just as a statement in a record or a tabloid article. Generally, these children look at opportunities you offer them very differently than those outside bars and they open their hearts, in a way other children will never do. There’s no secret here, all you have to do is grant them the respect that every human being deserves.

How did you choose your cast?

The casting for the lead role took seven months. I saw thousands of photos, interviewed hundreds of boys. I saw young actors, acting students, boys from different high schools, junior football teams, casting agencies. he was hard to find because he had to fulfill more requirements than normal: charisma, poise, intelligence, a strong presence and a personality to match. he would then need the ability to “close his eyes” and allow himself to be carried by his emotions. To act, in other words. There were many boys who had one or more qualities, but George was the only one who had them all. This part was his FIRsT attempt to act and I think that this was a great advantage. George has a rarely seen freshness in his acting and this may also be due to the fact that he is still “raw”. were there disadvantages in this being his first part? I don’t think so. I think he was very professional and he showed a lot of strength and this is what the character needed. since we both found a way to communicate, things worked out well. There were times at rehearsals and during the shooting when we thought we’d never get through it, moments when we improvised within the screenplay limits. George is now a first year student at the Theatre and Film school and I can only hope he will perform as well from now on. The casting for the girl’s part wasn’t a piece of cake either. Ada was initially requested for another part (which was removed afterwards), she was tested for more than 6 months. I worked differently with Ada, she has an electrifying presence, a huge talent, strength and will to work.

What is your next project?

I want to open an acting school, an acting class for people who never had anything to do with acting before. The work with the inmates, both on the set, but especially during the months of the acting workshop inside the prison, affected me in many ways. It was a chance for me to dive into a world that I had only heard of, it opened the doors of a belief that I had only touched upon.

working with non-professional actors gives you satisfaction on many levels, both professional and spiritual. It’s a great challenge, the line between success and failure is very thin, blurred, you can be charmed by their innocence and fail as a director. however, I truly believe that often with non-actors you can get fine performances and you can reach grounds you can never reach with professionals, although naturally I don’t believe non-professional actors are the choice for every role.

Getting to know the kids in the prison, I realized that what they lacked the most was love and attention, year after year this translates into lack of confidence. I think acting can help in this situation, and I tend to believe it helped here.

For somebody who has only heard that they are good at nothing and less than a dog in the street, it’s a hUGe thing to realize that he can engage an audience with his simple presence, with one smile, one gesture and that he can make 200 people laugh or shiver at once. This builds self confidence and can bring a change. The idea of an acting school started from this workshop. I truly believe that what happened with the inmates can happen with normal, average people. even more, much more than that. I imagine a place where people can act out their inner demons and explore places that can only be dreamed of. I deeply believe in acting as a healing process. And I also hope this work will help me find talents for my future projects, as the work with the young detainees did.

Who are your influences as a filmmaker?

I love Bresson and Almodovar. I am fascinated by n. B. Ceylan, Bruno Dumont and Ken loach. I can’t wait to get old and make movies like ozu, but in the meantime I want to make a movie like GlADIAToR.

FLOrIN SErbANFILmOGrAPHy

2010IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE DirectorCo-Writer with Catalin mitulescuAwards: SArAJEVO INTErNATIONAL FILm FESTIVALWork In Progress Award (2009), Cinelink Screenplay Award (2008)

EmIGrANT (medium feature - in post-production)Director, Writer, Editor & Producer

2009UNA y OTrA VEz by Antonio mendez EsparzaProducerAwards: best Short at Los Angeles Film Festival 2009best Latinamerican Short Film 2009

2002 HALF OF THE CITy mAKES LOVE WITH THE OTHEr HALF (Short)Director & Writer

2001 mECANO (Short)Co-DirectorAward: CINEmA IUbIT FILm FESTIVAL, bUCHArESTJUry’S PrIzE

born in resita, romania in 1975, Florin Serban studied Philosophy and Hermeneutics and worked as a news reporter for various TV stations. He graduated with a master degree and then entered the film directing program at the National University for Theater and Film, romania. During his film studies he wrote and directed short films, commercials, and tv shows for the biggest romanian commercial televison. Florin Serban was then accepted into the Film Directing program at Columbia University, Ny, where he was awarded numerous scholarships and fellowships and taught Theory and History of Film. He returned to romania to make IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE.

CATALIN mITULESCU - Co-Writer & Producerborn in bucharest, romania in 1972, Catalin mitulescu studied geology at the bucharest University. He spent three years traveling and working abroad in Austria, Hungary, Poland and Italy. Upon his return to romania, he enrolled in the film directing program at UNATC in bucharest. Since his graduation in 2000 he has been directing award winning short films like TrAFFIC (Palme d’Or Cannes 2004), his debut feature THE WAy I SPENT THE END OF THE WOrLD (Un certain regard, best Actress Award for Dorotheea Petre, 2006), commercials and music videos. He has founded the film production company STrADA FILm which has become, over the years, one of the leading production companies on the romanian film market.

˘˘

˘˘

˘˘

GEOrGE PISTErEANUGeorge is only 19. When the filming took place he was still in high school. This is his first contact with the film industry. George was meant to be a musician. He studied piano for a long time and was part of the Opera’s children choir. He wanted to study Canto, but a friend thought he would make a talented actor and advised him to go to acting classes. He attended the acting section at Dinu Lipatti High School, where he was discovered by Florin Serban. Now a first year student at the National University of Theatre and Film from bucharest, George is grateful for the chance he got: “It’s a great opportunity to have your first performance as the main part in such a film”.

ADA CONDEESCUAda is 21 years old and currently studying acting at the National University of Theatre and Film in bucharest. She has participated in many acting and choreography classes around the world. She believes that growing up among artists, writers and actors taught her to trust herself more – which was the first step towards acting. Her work for this film changed her perspective on prison and prisoners, as she got an unfiltered insight on their lives and mentality. As for working with Florin Serban, she is happy to have had such a strong but subtle mentor, who allowed her to find her way and develop a complex character.

CASTSilviu GEOrGE PISTErEANUAna ADA CONDEESCUmother CLArA VODADirector mIHAI CONSTANTINThe brother mArIAN brATUUrsu CHILIbAr PAPANSoare mIHAI SVOrISTEANUFinu ALEXANDrU mITITELUblondu CrISTIAN DUmITrUPsychologist LAUrENTIU bANESCU

CrEWDirector FLOrIN SErbANProducers CATALIN mITULESCU, DANIEL mITULESCUCo-Producers FrEDrIK zANDEr, TOmAS ESKILSSON Executive Producer FLOrENTINA ONEAAssociated Producers VICTOr mAVrODINEANU, mArCIAN LAzArProduction Supervisor rUXANDrA SLOTEAScreenplay CATALIN mITULESCU, FLOrIN SErbAN based on the play EU CAND VrEAU SA FLUIEr, FLUIEr by ANDrEEA VALEANDirector of Photography mArIUS PANDUrU Editor CATALIN F. CrISTUTIU, SOrIN bAICAN Sound THOmAS HUHN, ANDrEAS FrANCK, FLOrIN TAbACArU, GELU COSTACHE Production design ANA IONECICostume Design AUGUSTINA STANCIUCasting EmIL SLOTEA

˘

˘

˘˘

˘

˘˘˘ ˘

˘

˘˘

˘˘