Vitalis
"I don't know if I'm still capable of knocking a guy out after three shots. I'd like to try, but only once."
Interview with Director Ivan Sougy
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
This film speaks of both the intimate and the universal: the will of one man to live a thousand and one lives, with death always close by. It is a question of balance, of poetic force, of the way of life and death. Vitalis is a fascinating character, ambivalent because he both intrigues and rejects his listener.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It is the portrait of a man who talks about life and death. Of life experience and death experience to be more precise. This man has always done what he wanted to do, from positive to negative, from good to bad. The poetic force that he emanates through his presence on the screen and his words literally plunges us into this question of life and death and the relationship we have with them.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It is the portrait of a man who talks about life and death. Of life experience and death experience to be more precise. This man has always done what he wanted to do, from positive to negative, from good to bad. The poetic force that he emanates through his presence on the screen and his words literally plunges us into this question of life and death and the relationship we have with them.
Vitalis
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The film was made during the filming. I often used to tell Vitalis that it was a film we were making together, even though I decided on the shooting, on the story I was going to tell. The direction, his reactions in front of the camera contributed a lot to the writing of this film, which was then extended to the editing.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback is mainly very positive, the story of Vitalis fascinates... but it sometimes provokes reactions of rejection from certain spectators who have difficulty with his mode of existence, this anger and this aggressiveness which emanates from him.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Absolutely not, I was expecting exactly these reactions.
Vitalis
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The film is there and could not be different now...
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The film is already done...
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why didn't I tell the story of Vitalis' life in an exhaustive way, why are there still grey areas? This would be a good question to start a debate.
Vitalis
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I work on the issue of refugees, as well as on the issue of inter-generational transmission.Interview
Interview: July 2022
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
Vitalis
Length:
33:40
Writer/Director
IVAN SOUGY is a writer and director of documentary and fiction films. As an amateur actor, he first acted for theatre and television before pursuing his studies in cinema and anthropology, making several documentaries, video essays and short fiction films. Each of his films and writings are the starting point for new visual and sound experiments, interweaving registers and media, archival images being one of his favourite playgrounds. His work revolves around the notions of order and disorder, interweaving the intimate and the universal, fiction and reality. He also works as an editor in documentary and for television.
Producer
Caroline Chassaing
Looking for:
film festival directors, distributors
More info:
Where can I watch it?
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival