Asaf Korman
Asaf Korman is set to make the leap from editing and short films to a live action feature project with his new film Next to Her: which is being screened as part of the BFI London Film Festival.
We caught up with the director to chat about the film, bringing the cast together, and being at the London Film Festival.
- Next To Her is your latest movie, so can you tell me a bit about the film?
Next To Her is a film about a woman neglecting her own life for the sake of her sister and the danger of this neglect unfolds.
It is a about Chelli living in a small apartment in Israel with her younger sister Gabby, who is suffering from a severe mental disability.
At some point, a guy walks into their lives and the dynamics change. The art-house drama becomes a low-key thriller.
- The movie sees you return to the director's chair, so what was it about this story and Liron Ben-Shlush's script that really sparked your interest?
Well, I came to this film from an editing background - I have been editing a lot this last year - working on art-house films such as The Slut, which was in Critic's Week at Cannes, and Jaffa, which was in competition in Cannes. I also edited Big Bad Wolves - a horror film from last year.
So I was editing a mix of genre and art-house films and it was important for me that my first film had a little bit of both of those elements. The things I like are strong dramas - you could say art-house dramas - but I also have a special place in my heart for genre films that really take the viewer by the neck and involve them a bit more.
I really wanted to be able to do a bit of both in my first film. The moment that Liron told me about this idea that she had for a film... she never thought that it would be produced because she had never written a screenplay before; she just had this idea about these two sisters, which is loosely based on her own experiences with her real disabled sister.
The moment she told me this idea, I knew that this would be my first feature as it had so much going on and so many interesting challenges for me as a director.
- As you say, this is your live action feature film debut, so how has this whole experience been for you? And how have you found the transition from short projects and editing?
Everything was a really great stepping-stone for me. I keep saying to everyone that isn't really my first film, as I have been involved in eight feature films before this.
I have had this amazing opportunity to look at so many amazing actors and see how other directors work during this time and learn from everything that they did. I came with a lot of knowledge about what I wanted to bring to the editor of the film; what material that I wanted to have.
It was a big advantage for me to come with all that experience as an editor. Also, if you look at my short films, they are very similar in the way that they take an intimate look at family.
My short film was about my father and my father, mother, sister, and myself were acting in it and playing ourselves: it was a very personal experience that I knew from up close.
It was also about the borderline between fiction and non-fiction. I carried these things through to my first feature because it is a movie that does have personal aspects.
Especially at the end of the film, I try to break the line between fiction and documentary and have it a bit confused.
- As well as writing the script, Liron also takes on the central role. How tricky a process is it directing the screenwriter?
Actually, during the filming, it was perfect harmony I must say (laughs). Luckily, before she was a screenwriter she was an actress and it was very important to manage doing this the best way that she can and with respect to the material.
During rehearsing, we understood that the biggest challenge for her is to forget everything she wrote and to live ever scene as if it is new to her and not something that she meticulously wrote for four years. She understood that she had to forget about the screenwriting and she did it amazingly.
She didn't once talk to me about the screenplay, she was only thinking about what she was doing, where she was moving to; she was only an actress on the set.
The only place that we had some problems as a director and screenwriter was in the editing because in the editing, that is where the screenwriter's dream meets reality (laughs).
I must say, I don't suggest that any director or editor sleeps in the same bed as the screenwriter and lead actress of a film, as it is a very complex situation. Luckily, we survived it.
- You have brought together a great cast for the film, so can you talk a bit about that process - especially casting the character of Gabby?
The idea to have Dana Ivgy in this role came up when we were writing the film. We knew that it was impossible to audition actresses for this because before an actress can stand up and do something, she has to research for at least two months to understand what is going on there.
It is so complex physically and mentally to be able to do it. We knew that we just had to take an actress that we trusted.
The second most important thing for this role was the intimacy between the two sisters; I knew that we would have to create a very strong intimacy between Liron and the actress who was going to play Gabby.
This was also crucial in the casting of Dana and she and I are very close friends since before high school: we have literally grown up together.
We had both a very good actress that we trusted and was talented and a very close friend; she had known Liron for years and I knew that it would be easy to create the intimacy that we needed for this relationship.
Before we starting looking at how she was going to play this character, she had researched for two months with specialists and doctors as she wanted to figure out what ever medication and every pill that this character is taking and how it affects her.
She wanted to know the exact the situation in her brain, what works, what doesn't work, and the medical condition. She was just so meticulous in the detail for this role.
She was spending a lot of time with Liron's little sister, just looking at her and trying to figure out what was going on there.
The first time that she performed after all of this research, it was almost already there. It was very precise and she did an amazing job.
- Next To Her is screening at the BFI London Film Festival as part of the Love programme, so how excited are you to be part of this great festival?
I am very excited, as it is a festival that I have dreamt about being part of for many years. I did live in London back when I was seven years old for one year with my family; my father was studying theatre directing at the time and was here for one year studying.
London is part of my best childhood memories and it is very exciting to come back here as a filmmaker with a film to the BFI London Film Festival.
It is a real dream come true. I am also really excited that it is in the Love section of the festival, as I do believe that it is a great love story between two sisters.
It is very important for me to be part of the festival and be one of the films representing Israel; there are many Israeli films here.
I am very lucky to have UK distribution already with the film, which is pretty rare for an Israeli film. I am really amazed that UK audiences will get the chance to see the film both in the festival and in cinemas. It really is very exciting for me.
- Finally, what's next for you?
What is next? This film was an exploration of motherhood more than it is a film about mental disability or looking after someone with a mental disability.
I think my next project will be about fatherhood, and I will try to do something about that through my experiences as a father. I can't promise anything just yet.
I also have an urge to explore more genre territories, so maybe it will be a musical or a horror film. It is early stages so I can't really promise anything.
Peccadillo Pictures in Spring 2015 TBC