Queens World Film Festival 2019 – Vida Alegre
In the outskirts of the jungle, rules for love are different.
Interview with Director/Editor Marta Pulk
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I heard Peruvian children singing passionate Spanish love songs and figured how much do they understand when they sing about love. And then again how much do any of us? Combining that thought with the surroundings I was in, the idea for Vida Alegre was born. The whole film was made – from idea to screening – over the course of 8 days under the mentorship of Werner Herzog.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Vida Alegre tells a story of love and innocence. It does so by taking you to places you would never see otherwise. Puerto Maldonado is a town in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon, the capital of a mining area. Out of 85000 people, thousands of women are involved in sex work. In this short film, we talk to some of these women about difficult topics but do so with a touch of lightheartedness.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I asked myself the question of what is it we talk about when we talk about love? How it shapes and warps us? How do people find the strength to have faith in the world when those closest to them betray them? And how innocence makes us terribly vulnerable and extremely strong at the same time?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I expected it to be a little lighter at first. In different societies, sex workers have different positions and societal status. For some, it's a choice and for some, it is not. I was not expecting to meet such a great number of women who had never had a choice – either by being involved in the sex industry already as children or never having the chance to earn to read or to change the course of their life if they so wished. I did not expect for all of the girls who were kind enough to share their stories, to have such a violent history when it came to first experiences of love. It is said that over 70% of women in Amazon experience sexual abuse over the course of their life and the women I met were the painful statement of that statistic.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been very positive. The film was chosen by Werner Herzog as the official selection of his masterclass and has so far screened in Doc Buenos Aires, Doc Zagreb, Bogoshorts and continues to travel the world through festivals.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I have been grateful to realise that people want to see and screen a film that has a clear concept and handwriting – that even though the technical means were scarce, the story has touched people on many levels.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope having the film more visible allows for the message and story to travel further.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I hope this short continues to intrigue festival directors and travelling the festival circuit.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Having made this film as an outsider travelling to Amazon, I think it's important to tell these stories globally. To keep reminding ourselves to see people behind any group or profession. The women in this film are strong, wonderful individuals, who have gone through thick and thin to feed their families. This is something that people from more privileged societies or social classes never have to deal with. As a filmmaker, I do aim to invoke compassion and understanding between human beings.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
When watching this film, ask yourself what is love. Ask yourself how it shapes us and admires the strength it takes not to give up.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently working on my first feature-length documentary called A Year Full of Drama that will be released in October 2019.
Interview: March 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Vida Alegre
In the outskirts of the jungle, rules for love are different.
Length: 6:45
Director: Marta Pulk
About the writer, director and producer:
MARTA PULK was born in 1988 in the midst of the Estonian Singing Revolution and studied filmmaking in the Baltic Film and Media School. Directing both fiction and documentary, her films feature a strong visual handwriting and relentless interest towards the human spirit and what makes us fight. Her documentary The Lion Tamers had its international premiere in the Bogoshorts Film Festival and was nominated for the Silver Eye Award. Her short fiction film True was selected for competition by PÖFF Shorts 2018 and her latest short documentary Vida Alegre was chosen by Werner Herzog as the official selection of his Peruvian masterclass and has travelled festivals ever since. She is currently in production with her first feature-length documentary.
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Black Factory Cinema
Funders: Estonian Film Institute, Estonian Filmmakers Association, Estonian Cultural Endowment
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Queens World Film Festival / 6:00 PM | Monday March 25 | Zukor