Eva Mulvad had her international breakthrough in 2006, with the release of documentary “Enemies of Happiness,” which followed a female politician in Afghanistan. The film won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Silver Wolf Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Her documentary “The Good Life” was awarded Best Documentary at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2011. 

“Love Child” will premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7. The film is co-directed by Lea Glob and Morten Ranmar.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

EM: It is a love story that takes place against the backdrop of the enormous refugee crisis the world has been facing for years. We follow a small family — Leila, Sahand, and their four-year-old son Mani — who have never been able to live together in Iran, as Leila and Sahand were secret lovers and officially married to other people.

They decide to escape Iran with Mani. We follow in intimate scenes their struggle to form a family, to tell the boy who his real father is, and to find a place in the world where they can live on safe ground. It is a chance for the audience to get a human perspective on one of the major political issues of today.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

EM: The strong characters. They are very likable, transparent, and not afraid to show their emotions. Also, my own urge to get past the numbness I sometimes feel, when the problems of the world repeat and repeat with no one taking action.

The refugee crisis has been massive in Europe and I have asked myself how I could contribute to the discussion. How could I raise a human flag — in a time where politics feel frozen and inhuman?

We have been facing this problem for so long — and out there behind the figures and the statistics, every single refugee is an individual human being, with their own specific story. We know that, but a film like this can emotionally remind us of it.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

EM: What if you had to leave everything you know, and love, and start from scratch? How would you handle it? How would you want the world to meet you?

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

EM: I guess three aspects were most difficult — time, language, and complexity. We have followed the story for more than six years — it is a very long stretch. It is difficult to keep concentration, raise money for that long of a production, and maintain a steady team.

We had to shoot scenes in Turkish, Farsi, and Azerbaijani — sometimes in a mix of the languages. Getting translation done has been heaven, both time-wise and in terms of money.

We also had a more political side of the story that was too complicated to tell– it is always a bit of a disappointment when storylines have to be cut.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made. 

EM: The film is funded by Scandinavian television stations, and the Danish and Finnish film institutes. Plus, there is money from a European fund called Media.

We are lucky to have a strong public funding system in Scandinavia — supporting independent productions and not demanding it to be in our native languages. Creative freedom is given to the filmmakers.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

EM: I always liked to tell stories. I lived in the countryside as a child with not much happening, so the library was the place to meet the big world, and stories became a hobby.

I was accidentally accepted to film school in Copenhagen at a point where I had fooled myself to believing I should be a journalist. Today I feel lucky that I was saved from that profession.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

EM: Best: “Choose schools and boyfriends with care, they will form the way you think.”

Worst: “Don’t care so much.”

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

EM: There are still structures making things easier for men, but we can change them by working, being aware, and supporting each other. Vote for women, work with women, and go to see other women’s films.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

EM: “Katka” by Czech director Helena Třeštíková. It is a documentary that follows Katka for 14 years, from a beautiful young woman to a worn-down drug addict.

It is beautiful how this person becomes so much more than just a drug addict. The director shows us a whole life story — with ups and downs, beauty and sorrow. Katka stays with you because she is so well depicted.

It is difficult to make these long-term projects. It takes so much dedication and sensitivity. It is so demanding to hang around and wait for reality to condense itself to something touching, funny, dreamy — but that is what this film is made of. It is so poetic, and in a way, larger than the life it describes.

This is how Třeštíková puts it, “You bet on someone in the beginning of the process and then you wait and see what life does with them.” Wow — that is just cool and so unbelievably dedicated!

W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

EM: We have very different discussions now. It is like a light has been switched on in a room — we never looked into it before, but we all knew it existed. I hope this will empower women in the film industry. I am aware that it can also place us in a sort of victim focus or identity. That is not good for men or for women.