“You have to get over that much luck”

Mascha Schilinski, how did you learn about your film's invitation to participate in the glamorous competition at Cannes?

Just before Christmas, and by email! At the same time, my producer Maren Schmitt called me, squealing with joy. We couldn't believe it and read the email over and over again, wondering whether "Official Selection. Competition" was really the competition for the Palme d'Or or whether there was a completely different section hidden behind it. Just the day before, we had asked in Cannes when a decision would be made. They said: "Be patient!" The screening jury had almost disappeared into the holidays. And then the good news finally came: our film "Looking Into the Sun" had been nominated.

When were you sure that you were really in it?

At times, I sat at home and wondered if I was imagining it all. My participation had to remain top secret for months. At the same time, rumors were already circulating. So I couldn't share my joy with anyone, not even my acting team. I wasn't allowed to confirm anything.

What are you most looking forward to in Cannes?

The best part is that we'll all be there, watching the film together for the first time on a big screen in front of an audience. I'm really looking forward to this moment and I'm also really excited. And maybe I'll even find time to see a few other films. Where else can you find so many world premieres? However, I've already been told that my schedule will be incredibly full. This is my first time at the festival.

Mascha Schilinski on "Looking into the Sun": "The film functions like an associative stream of images that connects the fragments of memories of all the characters on the farm."

Source: Neue Visionen Filmverleih

Have you already asked old Cannes veterans what spectacle awaits you?

In fact, Fatih Akin was one of the first people to email me and congratulate me. He gave me the tip to enjoy it all. And that's what I'm going to do now. I hope to meet Fatih Akin in Cannes (Akin's film "Amrum" is playing in a side series, ed.).

How great is the pressure to compete against leading directors from Jafar Panahi to Wes Anderson in the race for the Palme d'Or?

There's no pressure at all. We've already won just by being there. I'm just happy. The film deserves to be seen. And it's great that this is happening now in front of a global audience.

Do you feel a special responsibility because you are symbolically waving the German cinema flag in Cannes?

I think the entire German film industry is happy for us. It's not often that a German film makes it into the Cannes competition. (Wim Wenders was most recently there with his Japanese-shot film "Perfect Days," about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo.)

Your cinematic debut, “The Daughter,” was shown at the Berlinale in 2017: Why didn’t you apply for Germany’s most important festival with your film?

We submitted the film simultaneously to all three A-list film festivals: Berlin, Venice, and Cannes. Then we waited to see what would happen. Cannes got in touch, and we were delighted.

Your film is top secret until its world premiere. What can audiences expect?

"Looking into the Sun" tells the story of four girls who grow up at different times over the course of a century on the same farm in rural Altmark. Although separated by time, the girls' lives begin to mirror each other. The film isn't a family or historical drama. I wouldn't categorize it into any particular genre. It functions like an associative stream of images that connects the fragments of memories of all the characters on the farm. Fragments that form an essentially impossible testimony to a collective experience.

Do you see a connection to your film debut “The Daughter”?

Yes, here again, it's the childlike perspective that fascinates me. Children have this hallucinatory power to detect and perceive voids for which there are no words. They look at the world without preconceived concepts.

Are you particularly interested in psychology?

No, I'm primarily interested in the atmosphere, for example, the feeling you get when you enter a room and notice how the people there behave and react. You usually can't remember the exact words people said, but you always remember the feeling they evoked in you. "Looking into the Sun" takes a more physical approach: The film explores bodily memories. In the cinema, you're welcome to follow the advice of French filmmaker Robert Bresson to feel the film before trying to understand it.

Your mother is also a director: was filmmaking something you were born with?

I wouldn't call it that. My father is French and a construction worker. Actually, he's the secret cinephile in our family. He watched an incredible number of films. We talked a lot about movies at home. When my mother was working on set and there was no babysitter available, she would take me with her for convenience. But I didn't grow up on a film set.

The Cannes Film Festival starts on May 13th: Is there anything more important in your life right now than cinema?

I became a mother at the beginning of the year. The invitation to Cannes happened almost at the same time. That much happiness takes time to process.

Are you already working on a sophisticated infrastructure for Cannes that will allow you to combine your numerous responsibilities as a competition director and as a mother?

I'll probably be there for the entire twelve days. And, yes, we're well-positioned. I have relatives in Nice who are coming over to Cannes and will look after the little one. This is especially true for the world premiere. Dad will also be in the cinema; he's the film's cameraman. Otherwise, he'll have my back.

Could it happen that you find yourself rocking your child in your arms during the premiere in the packed Lumière cinema?

That would create a strange background noise in the long run. No, my family will take care of the baby during the premiere.