"I do not boycott Israel, because most of the people I met in Tel Aviv oppose the government"

Para Wen composed some of the most heavenly sounds ever heard in cinema in recent years, for example for the film "Portrait of a Girl on Fire".

This week he will be a guest at the Tel Aviv Student Film Festival, and in an interview ahead of his arrival he explains why he did not follow the cancellation of Big Thief

Avner Shavit

15/06/2022

Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 00:23

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From "Portrait of a Girl on Fire" (Lev Cinema)

If it was up to America, our best friend, we might not see performances here or guests at festivals - the Big Thief affair is a recent example.

In France, on the other hand, a cultural boycott is something that exists of course, but is much less dominant than in others.

The male and female film festival that takes place in Tel Aviv benefits from this.

This week it hosts, among others, the wonderful French director Mia Hansen-Love, with whom we already published an interview last week;

And the marvelous French composer and creator Jean-Baptiste de Louvier, also known as the stage Para One, with whom we are pleased to publish an interview now.

True, cinematic composers are not rock stars in the first place, and within this niche world anyway Para Won is not the most recognizable name, but it is the one who created some of the most heavenly sounds heard on the big screen in the last two decades.

He did so as a regular partner of Celine Siama, one of the most prominent French directors of our generation (last summer, in the midst of Gal Corona, she was a guest at the same festival via video call - she also does not deal with the boycott).

Para Wen wrote for Siama the music of "Water Lilies", "A Bunch of Girls", "A Portrait of a Girl on Fire" and "Little Mom" ​​- films that proved to be exemplary also thanks to his touch.

In addition, he has written soundtracks for other films, released music outside of cinematic contexts, and also directed himself.

The festival will present its first feature film, "Specter: Madness, Madness and the Family," at a local premiere.

More on Walla!

The director of "Portrait of a Girl on Fire" imagines a world without men - which is wonderful

To the full article

Stay with us.

Parra Wen (Photo: Tel Aviv 2022 Film Festival)

Para Won is an electronic music wizard, and his work is instrumental, with almost no words.

Even when there is text, such as in "Portrait of a Girl on Fire," it is only one sentence in Latin, which most of the audience probably does not understand.

"I love art that doesn't need a lot of text," he says in an interview with Walla!

Culture in preparation for his arrival in Israel.

"One of the first rules taught in this film study - first of all, look for all the non-verbal ways to say something. Words are the last resort. When you write music, you are in a comfortable position to do it, because music conveys emotions straight to the heart, without having to go through "I always chose the projects I worked on, and I never worked on a project where the music had to make up for something that didn't exist."

Parra Wen was born in the late 1970s, and always wanted to pursue music, but after graduating from high school, he enrolled in film studies.

"I wanted to do electronic music and hip-hop, and there was really nowhere to study it in France," he says.

"Instead, I started studying sound technicians, and that's how I discovered cinema. When I discovered it, I wanted to learn more about it, and so I signed up for Pemis."

The Pemis, we will clarify, is the most prestigious film school in France, and one of the most prestigious in Europe in general.

The demand for it is huge, and the acceptance percentages are low.

"I did not grow up in Paris, but in the province, and I had no idea that it was such a sought-after school. Lucky so, otherwise I would have been stressed and certainly not accepted," he says.

"My classmates realized I knew how to make music, and asked me to compose their films for them, and from then on my life started to roll between music and cinema. I wrote music for other people's films and directed films myself and also wrote the music for them."

How does being a musician help you become a better director, and vice versa?

"In my opinion, it is important for every director to have a musical ear. It helps in editing, controlling the pace, working with actors and actresses. If you do not have that - the disadvantage is obvious. Celine of course has such an ear.

" Go figure out how to tell a story.

There are a lot of rappers, for example, whose approach is very narrative.

Anyway, training one cell of the brain is very helpful for another cell of his. "

"

If you write music according to the script, you respond to theoretical ideas, and then the music is theoretical as well.

When you respond to the faces of actresses, for example, it's easier to find the right direction for what you want to develop. "

Do you agree with me that there is some trajectory in your joint work?

The music for both of you's first movie, "Water Lilies," is so depressing that it's hard for me to listen to it.

In "Little Mom", the latest collaboration between you, music is already opening the heart.

"I agree. There is something deep and tragic about 'Water Lilies', and it's reflected in the music. It also reflects my situation: it was the first feature film I worked on. I was an insecure kid, and I had a very hard time writing the soundtrack. Over time. "I broke free and became more open. 'Little Mother' is a film about childhood, so the music is much more optimistic."

"Every movie has its own personality, and so does every creator. You don't always need music, not even in Celine's movies. In Celine's Tomboy, for example, there is almost no music, and I was a full partner in that decision.

Robert Berson is one of my favorite directors, and in his films there is almost no music.

I also see myself in the future making a film without music. "

Much more fun to talk about music, but of course it is impossible to evade political wishes, especially for a week after a musical cancellation that came against such a background.

"I did not hesitate to come, and it did not occur to me to cancel," says the French creator.

"However, I hear news, and it was clear to me that coming to Israel is a decision that has meaning and weight. I visited Tel Aviv a decade and a half ago, and learned from it that it has many people who have many interesting things to say, including politics. All the people I met in Tel Aviv oppose "For the government's actions, then come and say that if I visit it it gives legitimacy to what the government is doing? It's a binary way of looking at things, but they are not black and white."

Back to music.

Last week, Julie Cruz, the singer who became famous thanks to the soundtrack of David Lynch's "Twin Peaks," passed away, and I saw you tweet in her memory.

"David Lynch is a huge inspiration to me. I'm often told 'your music is too reminiscent of' Twin Peaks, '" and that's a huge protest for me.

The music at Lynch is so special and effective.

Three characters from it are enough to take you into the universe of a movie or a series. "

We will end with the question I always ask guests of the Student Film Festival - what advice would you give to a creator at the beginning of their journey?

"Patience is underrated. I'm proof of that, because I waited almost two decades until I made my first feature film. We live in an impatient world. Everything pushes us to get things out - social media, a sense of competitiveness, the desire to be like others. Even if you're young "And full of energy, even if your friend has already directed a full-length film, do not be pressured to do so as well. Take your time. In real time, the feeling is that we are wasting time, but in retrospect we realize we earned it, we learned from it. Patience pays off."

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