JUST TALKING 15/3 <br /><br />Is objectivity what is desired in the making of a documentary film? Must a director keep an emotional distance from his film’s main character? These questions were at the heart of the first “Just Talking”, which took place on Sunday, March 15, as part of the sidebar events of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century. <br /><br />Every afternoon, the 11th Documentary Festival invites its guests, directors and industry professionals from all over the world to an open, relaxed discussion, giving them the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange views and experiences. Participating in this first meeting were: Laura Bari, director of Antoine (Hybrid Docs), Magnus Gertten, co-director of Long Distance Love (Stories to Tell), Lisa Merton and Alan Dater directors of Taking Root: The Vision Of Wangari Maathai (Habitat), Kimberly Reed, director of Prodigal Sons (Stories to Tell), Ismail Necmi director of Should I Really Do It? (Portraits: Human Journeys) and Nahid Persson Sarvestani director of The Queen And I (Portraits: Human Journeys). <br /><br />In Should I Really Do It? Ismail Necmi tells the incredible story of Petra, a German woman living in Istanbul, ironically reversing the image of the Turkish immigrant to Germany. During shooting, Petra learns that her twin sister has cancer and finally dies, while she herself later learns that she has cancer. “In the two and a half years that I was shooting the film Petra and I developed a strong bond. I feel even closer to her now than I do to my own family”, the director confessed, and added: “I had a big ethical dilemma with whether or not I should show some of her private moments. As Petra’s friend I said no, but as an artist, yes. But if I had kept a distance from her, the result would not have been the same”.
