Trisha Ziff’s feature documentary credits include “Chevolution” and “The Mexican Suitcase.” Ziff’s “Pirate Copy; Pirate Stories” is a collection of three shorts following a road trip through the world of film piracy, filmed in London, Palestine, Dubai, and Mexico City. She is currently working on a feature on piracy. (Press materials)
“The Man Who Saw Too Much” will premiere at the 2016 Hot Docs Film Festival on May 3.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
TZ: “The Man Who Saw Too Much” is a film about fragility: the story of a man obsessed with photographing the [scene of the] accident who discovered that the fate of others was his way of connecting to the world around him. What happens when the image of the accident becomes the object of desire? Through the work of Enrique Metinides and his contemporaries the audience discovers an underworld in Mexico City through a narrative of crime scenes.
This is a film that explores the gaze, and addresses the fascination with death and morbidity that is not only common to Mexico. It’s a film about a rubbernecker! And its implications today in Mexico.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
TZ: I think there is a huge contradiction as a woman as a feminist that I made this film, which is all about the gaze of men! About how they see and what they photograph. I don’t think a woman could have made these images, or have these obsessions. So there was the fascination.
For Metinides the accident, the victim is his object of desire. We as women inherently understand that process of being viewed and objectified. In the end I think my protagonist also becomes the victim. It’s a complex character and subject which tested me, and I think for those reasons I felt compelled to tell this story.
I worked on an exhibition and a book too! The film was the ultimate part of the trilogy, if you will. Or perhaps I am just attracted to the dark side?
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
TZ: Nothing moralistic! But perhaps about their own fragility — that life is precious. To value life. To use a safety belt, always! An accident is something we can’t predict. You just never know. We don’t have to live in fear — and be controlled by it like Metinides — but remember to appreciate life. Put the crap in perspective, maybe.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
TZ: We worked with the contemporary tabloid photographers who go out every night and photograph the accidents and murders. They are all men. I think winning their trust and their willingness to work with us was the product of time — spending time with them, and being with them witnessing the dramas of the night, the Mexican “Night Crawlers.”
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
TZ: This film was largely funded by EFECINE that is a grant in Mexico which is through a tax scheme to support film production. The remaining funds came through an investor and a development grant from FOPROCINE which is also a film fund in Mexico.
W&H: What’s the biggest misconception about you and your work?
TZ: I think people think I am resilient and really tough. I don’t perceive myself that way. I am actually painfully shy. But put me with my crew and I guess I become Amazonian if I have to — but take me to a cocktail party at a film festival and I suffer. It’s pathetic.
I think people think I just make films about photography, I don’t. My films may use photography but they are always about other issues. Photography has been a vehicle I have used to tell other stories. If they were only about the image than I would prefer to have the photograph or a book. Something I could hold in my hands! A film takes us to other places.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
TZ: Best advice: “Sleep on it” Not always the advise I take, but it’s the best advice. There are always solutions — sometimes you just need perspective and time to figure them out.
Worst advice: “Stick to curating.” I come from a lifetime of producing exhibitions and books. I made my first film at 50. If I had taken that advice, I would not be here! I would not have made the films I have, and would not have had the most amazing experiences.
My advice: Never let age define you!
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
TZ: Surround yourself with great people, a crew is our family, and loyalty works both ways. Don’t allow negativity to get to you and don’t take things personally. It’s hard. I think as women we think differently and we do take disappointments personally. Hard not to.
I would say support your sisters! We are doing this in Mexico. We started a group of women filmmakers. We need each other — the old truth remains true! Together we are strong! Its not just rhetoric: it makes a difference.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
TZ: I have got to say Agnes Varda, I watched her films as a young woman, long before I ever thought of making films. She inspired me. I love that her work crosses from cinema to still image.
“The Gleaners and I” was a pivotal film for me. It’s so complex — her relationship to her subject, the editing, the narrative, and structure. It is poetic but addresses the politics of excess. It was made in 2000 I think but remains a really important film today. Re-watching it feels timeless.
