Interviews

Interview: Andrew Haigh – Lean on Pete

Published on August 7, 2018

Moving from deep conversations and casual sex (Weekend) to a couple’s disentangle and a woman’s profound change (45 Years), Andrew Haigh returns to the familiar with awkward love dynamics with a tale about a neglected teen, and the rapport he builds with a tired racehorse (Pete). Resulting in an authentic, humanistic representation of love in which there is not a faux connection between this awkward pairing; I had the chance to sit with the filmmaker to discuss the cinematic source of inspiration, the connection between his new film and his previous works and the method he employed to work with the non-human cast member.

Amir Ganjavie

Amir Ganjavie, a Ph.D. in communication and culture, is a Toronto-based writer, cultural citric, festival director, community activist and filmmaker. Fascinated by the issue of alternative and utopian space in modern urban settings and cinema, Amir has published several articles on utopia and two books, one on utopia (Le rÃ´le de la pensÃ©e utopique dans lâamÃ©nagement des villes de demain) and the other on walkable neighbourhoods (Pour une ville qui marche). He has recently co-edited two special volumes on Iranian cinema for film International and Asian Cinema and edited a Humanities of the Other: An essay collection on the Dardanne Brothers (in Persian). Aside from academia, he writes for MovieMaker, Filmint, Mubi, Senses of Cinema, Offscreen and Brightlight. Amir is very active in the community. He serves as the CEO of CineIran Festival and Phoenix Cultural Centre of Toronto. He is also the founding member of NaMaNa Cinema. He has recently directed/produced a long feature film in Canada, named Pendulum. His top 2 theatrical release for 2017: IldikÃ³ Enyedi's On Body and Soul and Michel Hazanavicius's Redoubtable.