Interviews

Interview: Thomas Stuber – In the Aisle | 2018 Berlin Intl. Film Festival

Published on March 26, 2018

Continuing with some of his lost souls interests found in his award-winning TIFF debut A Heavy Heart (2015), Thomas Stuber‘s sophomore feature film focuses on characters who fight for incremental moments of happiness in life and their struggle to attain it. Shrouded in the mundane and daily grind, Stuber’s text looks at the daily ritual of living and finds beauty where it may not be distinguishable and palpable at first sight. Brilliantly structured sequences and performances combined with the elegant use of classical music makes temporal into eternity. Presented in Competition at the 2018 Berlin Intl. Film Festival, I had the chance to sit with Stuber to discuss the ins-and-outs of supermarket, difficulties in the setting, the meaning of what is “ordinary” and the role music plays within In the Aisle.

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.