Movie Director /
Chair of the Jury, Sony Future Filmmaker Awards
The most important point is that there's no entrance fee. Also, we are open to any format. That is something that we've been very keen to impress upon storytellers and filmmakers, to let them know that we are open to all formats - candidates can shoot on whatever they like.
This program includes a workshop in L.A., and I want to continue that because it is a great opportunity for filmmakers to get together with others who have experience in different countries and in telling different stories. I also want to collaborate with the emerging generation because I think that there are exciting things happening among these young creators. I believe there are some incredible voices that just need to be given the opportunity.
If filmmakers have a pen and piece of paper, they can start their creative process. Recently, the production methods have diversified, and I've seen filmmakers pick up a piece of equipment or borrow equipment within their reach. Young creators can start by writing down the words of what they want to express, then that can easily turn into borrowing a camera or picking up their phones.
I truly believe in the future of filmmaking and I think that it's going to be incredibly vital that we have individual, unique voices that will help us navigate this future of AI that we are facing. There is an endless variety of streaming platforms which we can work with, and I'm hoping that the awards mean that we are creating a whole new generation and giving them the opportunities they need. We want to put them where they can meet the decision-makers, offering them a chance to tell their stories and get support, and creating a forum for them where they can put their films out.
As a director, you're usually on your own. You don't often get to meet other filmmakers, so it's an incredible experience to be able to put your work in the cinema and sit there with the audience because you learn so much about your own film. I had a great experience with my film "The First Grader". I met amazing filmmakers from all over the world who talked about their process, their struggles, how they were making films and what they were doing. For the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, there is this great week in L.A. where the filmmakers meet people from the industry, and that can open doors for creators, helping them and giving them ideas.
Creativity is a collaborative process. It's about learning. A more experienced person can learn from an inexperienced person. The person that has no resources to make films has, inevitably, much more to say about how they achieved their creation.
The Mandela Foundation and the Mandela family invited me to South Africa to talk about making the film. Mandela wanted to make a film about his life based on his book, from being a boy to being released from prison. They gave me an opportunity to meet the family and at that time, the family suggested I visit Mandela's birthplace and also the places he lived. This experience taught me about the things that happened throughout his life.
I was at university when Mandela was released, and I really remember that day. I met a guard at Victor Verster Prison (now Drakenstein Correctional Centre) who was around 18 or 19 at the time when Mandela was released and who told me what he had seen that day: "Nobody knew what he looked like, and the world was waiting for Mandela to come outside, and we were waiting for a very long time." I asked what caused the delay, and he told me: "Mandela would not walk out without his wife Winnie, who had arrived late. He wanted her to be there. Although they had marital issues, and their relationship had been put through some terrible challenges, he wanted to walk out hand in hand with her." That's when I realized that that was the heart of the film – it was a love story.
I called the producers and told them we should concentrate on it as a love story. It was what unlocked "Long Walk to Freedom" and I suddenly knew what to do, and the writer, William Nicholson knew what to do. The reason why the film worked was out of truth and research. If a movie is about a story and trying to find truth, whatever the genre is, then why not be open as a creative person to finding out the truth? You're much, much more likely to find this elusive moment of truth and capture it on film if you are open to work with other people around you. It's a creative process. It's a collaborative process. And I think the best experiences I've had is where I've gone into a community and built the world around it. I've tried to work with the local people and the local talent and the people that know the subject well who can help build that world for the actors to inhabit.
I love my job. My job is a big part of my life. I feel very blessed to be able to be creative, to tell stories, to be able to give the opportunity to tell stories. The way I work on my projects is mostly about collaborating with others. We work with people from all walks of life. Not only those people we know, but also those who have different voices and those who have had different experiences in life. For me to be truly creative on set as a director is to create an open and honest environment that gives the artists and actors freedom to express, collaborate and find the truth and vision of the film they are making. Being clear and communicating that vision is key. You are not alone. There are brilliant creative people who will help, support and work with you to help realize your dreams. As long as you've got a story to tell, a strong idea trust in the process of creativity. Good things happen in the pursuit.
Every human being is creative. If you feel you've got something to say, then get on and do it because now is the time that we need original voices. We need new voices. We need voices that are not coming from the obvious channels. We need different voices, and I think that's what Sony is so keen on doing – discovering and mining that new talent.
Justin Chadwick is an award-winning British theatre, television and film director. He is best known for critically acclaimed films including the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" (2013), the AFI and IFTA nominated "The Other Boleyn Girl" (2008), "Tulip Fever" (2017) and "The First Grader" (2010).
