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Cary Fukunaga

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2 Mar, 2014

Esquire interview

Interview0 Comments

Fukunaga speaks about if he has any favorite episodes of HBO’s True Detective that he’s directed:

There’s not one. There are scenes that after we shot we were like, That was a fun scene to shoot, or the guys were really on fire in that scene. The scenes I enjoyed a lot between McConaughey and Harrelson, there were two: One is when they are in the locker room and Cohle makes a comment about Hart’s wife’s pussy, and the other one is the two of them after the hospital in episode four, having drinks at the bar and Hart is trying to have a heart-to-heart with Cohle and Cohle doesn’t want to.

26 Aug, 2014

Cary Fukunaga interview

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Esquire interviews Fukunaga about winning an Emmy for directing the first season of True Detective. 

It’s pure recognition. It’s a really f-cking amazing feeling after such a difficult, long, hard project. I’m really happy that True Detective was also recognized for cinematography, for makeup a lot of the craft parts were recognized. We really spent a lot of time trying to make it something special and elevated. And we didn’t waste an hour of a day or a weekend.

28 Jul, 2015

Exploitative nature of filmmaking

Writes Article0 Comments

Fukunaga comments on need to protect the people he has worked with:

Films of this nature have the potential to affect not only the lives of the viewers, but also the lives of the participants of the production. As a filmmaker, I am aware that I am not in the public service; my first job is to be a storyteller. However, the subjects of some of my films have blurred the lines between this tenet and the intrinsic responsibility to protect the people I have worked with and come to care for, a responsibility born from the inherently exploitative nature of filmmaking. Both Sin Nombre and Beasts of No Nation tread on real and current sociopolitical subject matters. In order to tell the stories authentically, I had to cast real people, street kids, often without parental support or guidance, as well as former combatants and a whole cadre of non-professionals.

The result is far more impactful, but the participants have very little concept about how their lives are about to be changed by the production and the attention that comes following a film’s release. A film can be an incredible opportunity for a young actor, but it can also be a once in a lifetime anomaly. The concentrated focus of attention and, sometimes, modest monetary gain are short-lived and often leave the subjects awash in confusion and depressed once it’s over. I don’t think any filmmaker is responsible for every person who took part in their stories—no more than journalists are—but they should be as giving as possible and paternal and accessible once everything is over. There is an ethical obligation to give back, sometimes in time, sometimes in money, but more than anything, in preparation.