Title of film: The Shaman
Name: Marco Kalantari (Director, Editor, Writer & Producer)
myNewYorkeye: What do you love about being a storyteller?
Marco Kalantari: Definitely the possibility to create worlds and to inspire people with my stories. We all try to make sense of the chaos around us and find a way to understand life. That’s why we love films and stories in general. I believe that strong values of a good story always relate to universal human experiences. For me a good story isn’t an escape from reality but something that inspires us on our search for reality. Our very best effort to make sense out of our existence. And this is also a strong theme of The Shaman since our protagonist is someone who lives between two worlds - our reality and the Netherworld. This brings him into a strong conflict, which again is a metaphor for our struggle as human beings.
myNewYorkeye: What does it mean, to have your film as part of this festival?
Marco Kalantari: To me it still feels like a dream to have The Shaman’s world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was our ambition from the beginning to launch the film at a major festival and bringing the film to Tribeca was our big hope as we always felt this would be the perfect platform for The Shaman. The moment I got the call from New York that we made it into the festival, my entire life turned upside down. The entire Tribeca team has been extraordinarily supportive and friendly.
myNewYorkeye: What is the central Message of your film?
Marco Kalantari: The Shaman’s strong high concept is the fact that most of our questions about the future can be found in our past. 30,000 years ago, Shamanism was the main religion on planet earth.
And it’s a tale about a man who sets off to defeat his antagonist, but finds out that the true enemy is himself. I believe this applies to all of us.
The film’s themes are Trust - the conflict between the Shaman and his squire; and Redemption - the sacrifices the Shaman has to make in order to overcome his enemy, and find his true self.
myNewYorkeye: What's Your Fav thing about this city?
Marco Kalantari: The energy and the vibe. I’ve been living in several big Asian cities - Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai. What attracts me about NY is the city’s attitude. The will to stand out. My impression of New York is that it’s more than just a place to live and work. NY is a statement.
myNewYorkeye: How do you re-charge your creative battery in NYC?
Marco Kalantari: I just step out on the street and open my eyes. That has a high-speed-charging effect.
myNewYorkeye: What's next for you?
Marco Kalantari: I will continue to work hard and make my next steps towards my big movie making dream. At the same time I’ll try to improve as a human being. Because only that will give me the right to tell stories in the first place.
Trailer: https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/shaman-2015
Social Media Links: