At first Luis Ismael just knew h wanted to make movies. After engendered a surreal story with four characters who do not acknowledge the existence of internet or mobile phones. From what was meant to be a short film, expanded to the sides and became a box office phenomenon in our country. Eleven years later a third and final sequel of the "bullets and cookies," is scheduled for the end of the year. This young director feels that part of this mission is accomplished, the Portuguese laugh and went to the cinema.
When debuted the "Bullets and cookies," you had the notion it would be a success?
Luis Ismael: I'll tell you one thing, when did balas1, Portuguese cinema was residual; we noted that the Portuguese people did not care about anything. I never had the expectation of making that connection. What I wanted was to make a movie. "bullets and cookies" has been that experience. Let's see if I can do a film with few resources, or close to zero. I went into production without any expectation or even thought to put then cinemas. What I didn't want to built the dam, I just wanted to see the water running. And after finishing the film, we tried to put it in Fantasporto, so we did and we thought, ok, it's ready and eventually died here. However, then appeared an opportunity to show it on SIC Radical and then we noticed more involvement. The Internet also enabled us to have more feedback, but never thought I would achieve success and that could be within reach of people who follow it and talk it. But I'm glad because it is a Portuguese film, although there are still those who consider the film industry as a minor art. It is too easy to "beat" in the Portuguese cinema. I felt sad that there is no connection with the public. English cinema, Italian and American have their heroes, they attract teenagers to the movies and create the habit of watching then. Here there are no informal movies, fun. It is always very serious and few comedies when they appeared. In this context what interests me is to create products that take people to the movies and later create the appetite to see more dramatic ones.
After the success of the first movie, you decided to start production of the " bullets and cookies 2" a sequel to the same movie, something that has never before been done in Portugal. You know that at the time?
LI: We discovered this when the second was almost ready. I wondered at the time if there was a sequel and found out there was none, to my great regret once again, even in the XXI century there was nothing in the gender in Portuguese cinema. Why a second? Because basically, the four of us wanted to repeat the experience and be together, this time with a funny story. Then we created one and from there we start shooting.
In this sequel there was a difference, Lusomundo which undertook the responsibility to distribute to the various national cinemas.
LI: Yes, but before that, we went five months looking for a distributor. We started by tiny companies. We thought that by being a Portuguese film with a harsh language, we began by small distributors because they have more open minded. And it was precisely the opposite. Strangely. During this period there was even a general disappointment, we were not sure we put the movie and it was precisely the Lusomundo that decided to distribute. It was one of the most incredible moments of my professional life. Then it was a phenomenon in only five movie theaters, because there were only five copies and the whole process was amazing. I always thought that bullets was a fun movie, unbiased, and totally crazy and did not want to be politically correct. It's an honest film, because shows people natural talking and give the public what they want. I produce and then the public decides. And that is the mission of bullets. What is bad? We do it worse. Shaking a little bit the consciences. One must add that we do not take ourselves too seriously. We play with our Portugal. We have good things but also bad. You must play with these concepts, but it is still a light comedy for people to enjoy.
In this third and final chapter what will you do differently? There had to be an evolution, or not?
LI: People noticed that from the first to the second chapter the script was better. I will make a short parenthesis now if I may, the first bullet was to have been a short film. The idea was to put some friends around a table talking about atrocities. But I liked the characters so much that ended up growing sideways. The promise for the third? I promise, more diversity, more action, more adventure, more madness, and above all a more cinematic film with more characters. Many more scenarios. It is a film that ends the saga. It's almost like a big party of farewell and we hope that people come to the movie theater will be there two hours to give a few laughs. It is also a thank you to the public that have always supported us and believed and this is very important, did not forget us after seven years. That's what the "bullets and cookies" is. That group of people who gather together to watch the movie and have fun. Not something to be seen alone, it needs company.
Let's talk about the Portuguese cinema. Now after seven years, do you think there was an evolution, the emergence of young filmmakers is leveraging a different phenomenon?
LI: There something I consider very important for new filmmakers taking into account is the benefit of the doubt by the public. If we can conquer this space with the Portuguese it will be excellent. I would like to come to the point that when they are in doubt as to the choice of a film, prefer the Portuguese cinema. As a rule, people do not think much and automatically reject our cinema. If we get the public to try, dare to see, if we can achieve this confidence, this step is already important. We have to tell stories that reflect their everyday lives. Speak as they speak and stop characterizing the Portuguese people as someone who eat croissants for breakfast and has oranges on the table. I often tell as a joke when I see such scenes, who is the sick mind who gets up at five o'clock to roll fruit? What part of Portugal takes these breakfasts? I want to have that connection with the public. Something they can identify. So let them laugh, cry, but in Portuguese. We have a lesson in our country, soap operas conquered that space.
Recently the New York Times argued that Portugal is doing a groundbreaking film. Do you agree with that?
LI: To innovate you need public and people to invest in it. It is in this perspective that I see everything. To have an industry working you need to have people paying tickets. I'm not very favorable social-dependency of the government, think it's important to have programs to support films, but I do not think the state should be financing it. If you give money to a filmmaker, why he will worry about the audience? If you are paid for in advance what I will worry about having people in the movie theater? No risk. People play it safe. If you have one hundred, one hundred you spend. And in this perspective we have to believe that there's a new generation of filmmakers, not on the perspective that is good or bad. What is has to be different. I defended this view for several years. All kinds of movies. Drama, romance, action and comedy. We extend our range. Stories in Portuguese about then. Making co-productions with Brazil and Angola. Making films about our history, we have so many epic episodes and do nothing. We have to make a film about the Portuguese discoveries. We hardly are proud of what we were and what we did. The Americans are very proud of his country why? They exorcise all through the film from the beginning of the conquest until the darkest periods of its history as a nation. We could also do this.
You a producer, after bullets what are you going to do?
LI: I would like to continue making movies.
But something different?
LI: Yes, of course. And this time only as a director. In bullets I entered as an actor, because I found no one at the time. I want to do other things with a different type of scenario that pleases me. And feel that bullets leave something that made people laugh a little. What I'm most proud of is that if I go away my nine year old daughter will put the movie on the DVD and will laugh at the foolish father she had.
Did you enjoy the experience as an actor?
LI: Yes, very much. I saw what was to be on the other side. Limitations were important. I learned to respect the physical limit of the people, because normally I pledge myself to exhaustion. Direct and act the same time led me to a near exhaustion and realized my own physical limits, which I thought I didn't had. I needed a break at the time and now I have another perspective on things.
