I feel anxious when I'm not making movies - Ari Aster's "Midsommar" [Director's Interview Vol.55]

A24 completely trusts our artistry.

Q: It's a real craving, isn't it? I think A24 is a studio that can make full use of Director Ali's creative desire and writerly style. In recent years in Japan, it has become a common belief among movie fans that ``A24 movies are interesting.'' Director Ali, please tell us what you think is the distinctive part of A24.

Ali: The taste of the company itself is wonderful. The top people at A24 have a lot of trust in young creators and staff. They understand that even the younger (inexperienced) staff members are well versed in the film medium, so they have the opportunity to recommend young artists to the top.

And I think this is the biggest difference from other studios: once you decide to trust this creator, they fully support that person's work.

They never come up with a ``hit formula'' and ask, ``Maybe this will work commercially?'' On the other hand, they never say, ``Let's work with this person.'' The very act of thinking this is proof of our complete trust in allowing them to create their work freely.

Q: What is the ideal relationship between artist and studio?

It's not like we have an ``A24 formula,'' but rather we support artists and support their filmmaking, which is why we have this lineup. Whether it will be a commercial success or not is unknown, but at least it's a work created by the artist himself, so I think it'll be interesting after all. For example, they never say anything like copying the big studios and creating an ``A24 version.''

Also, since I live in New York, there are a lot of New York writers, but most of the other filmmakers at A24 are friends. We often see each other at the same events. We are all truly honored to have this support from our company.

Reserve “Midsommar” now ↓

Directed and written by: Ari Aster

Born in New York, USA in 1986. Received a Master of Fine Arts from the American Film Institute. Wrote and directed several short films, including "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons" (2011), "Munchausen" (2013), and "Basically" (2014). When his first feature film, "Hereditary," was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018, it was highly praised by critics and selected as the best film by film magazines and film sites around the world. Director Ari Aster won the Saturn Award for Best New Director, and the film was nominated for numerous awards, including the Gotham Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the Online Film Critics Association Awards, and star Toni Collette received numerous awards for best actress.

Interview and text: SYO

Born in 1987. After The Graduate from Tokyo Gakugei University, he worked at a film magazine editorial production site and a film information site before becoming a film writer. Works on a wide range of topics including interviews, reviews, columns, event appearances, and recommendation comments. Contributed to ``CINEMORE'', ``FRIDAY Digital'', ``Fan's Voice'', ``Eiga.com'', etc. Twitter「 syocinema 」

"Midsommar"

From Friday, February 21, 2020, TOHO Cinemas Hibiya and other nationwide roadshows

Provided by: Phantom Film/TC Entertainment

Distribution: Phantom Film

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