RAMŪNAS ŠKĖMA

 

 

A visionary film director from Eastern Europe. A no nonsense hardliner with a dark past. Hailed as a genius by film critics, and as a reckless alcoholic by others. 

 

 

INTERVIEW

 

It's hard to know what to expect from a man who shuns the limelight. This will be his first interview in five years. Feelings of being privileged as the first journalist to engage with him are overwhelmed by anxiety and fear as I recall when the news broke in 2006: 'Ramūnas Škėma is being held in custody after assaulting Mel Gibson outside a restaurant in New York'. Thankfully this was the last in a string of alcohol fuelled incidents that Škėma was involved in. He has since become teetotal.

 

As I enter the hotel suite, Škėma is already comfortably seated and waiting for me. Dressed in a hoodie, jeans and trainers, most people would walk past him in the street without realising who he was, maybe this is deliberate. However it is more likely that he dresses like this by choice, he is certainly not a pretentious man.

As I approach him he is engrossed in something on his mobile phone. I introduce myself but he seems disinterested and instead shows me some examples of a graphic designers work, he says he wants to collaborate with them in the future.

He can clearly sense my anxiety as he laughs, shakes my hand and jokes - "Don't worry I won't hurt you, unless you write a bad review!"

 

 

Hailed as a genius by film critics, the recovering alcoholic has a troubled past. After being kicked out of the military in his home country of Lithuania, Škėma slept rough before taking on a series of dead end jobs. 

 

His passion was always film as he explains. "I used to go to the cinema on my own. I wouldn't care what was on, I would just go and see anything/everything. Film fascinated me, it let me dream and escape from real life." At 24 he eventually enrolled in a course at the film academy in Vilnius. 

 

His first film 'Gruodzio 31', 'December 31st', released in 2001, was a day in the life documentary following a street level drug dealer on one of his busiest nights of the year. A huge hit at the film festivals across Europe and further a field, it put his name on the map. "I was in shock when they told me I had won at Cannes. It was the first real recognition I ever had. For the first time, people I didn't know were telling me how great my work was. It was a strange experience." Skema won the 'Prix Un Certain Regard' at Cannes in 2001, one of the most prestigious awards for young film makers. 

 

This air of anonymity in recent years has only added to Škėma's dark aura, making him an even more mysterious character than before. This has prompted western media to portray him, ironically as the 'Eastern European bad guy', typical of American mainstream cinema.

 

He refused to let our photographer take any shots, saying he would provide his own. After a succession of bizarre drunken interviews and dozens of scandals reported by the press, Škėma has matured and became a very guarded character, avoiding the media at all costs.

 

He is keen to talk about 'The final year'. "Its my first film sober. I see things much clearer now". He jokes "..maybe its too clear!". 

 

"People think I have been in hiding, living in seclusion. That's fine with me, let them believe that, the truth is I have been making this film for the last four years. Most people don't understand how long it takes to get a film made, especially one like this. It took a year and a half of work before filming even started. I have been writing the script and screenplay on and off for many years, since I was in film school. It is a true story, one of the best I have heard, from where I grew up back home. The ultimate tale of revenge. I have always loved great stories, thats what life is all about."

 

Škėma has taken a different approach to this release, putting it out on dvd, online and in the cinema all at the same time. It's official release date Monday the 30th of September.