Interview by Andy Hazel

SAARA LAMBERG of Innuendo

You’ve made three feature films, Innuendo (released), Westermarck Effect (soon to be released) and The Lies We Tell Ourselves (in post production) in three years. What drives you to be so creative? 

To be honest, I have to, I’m a workaholic. It’s the only thing that truly makes me happy and when life beats me up, my art lifts me and keeps me going. I witnessed my mothers life being cruelly taken away much too early, and I’ve always had this feeling mine could be short too, so I know I have no time to waste. I just do what I love and I do it as much and as often as possible.  

What do you consider your greatest achievements? 

Creating my first feature film with 200 other people and getting it theatrically released was pretty fantastic. It also made the top 10 most viewed programs when it was on national television here in Australia. 

As a writer and director, do you feel you have a social responsibility when making a film, or is it something that is purely personal?

I feel like every person on earth has a social responsibility, no matter what they do, so I couldn’t escape that even if I wanted to. In my opinion a film maker is a storyteller, working with their limited knowledge and in a framework of stories. Through my work and through my stories, my particular world view is explored and I hope that that someone else can reflect their world view to mine. For me, the Q&A session after the film is really where the pleasure lies. The questions and the philosophical conversations that have followed my screenings have made me feel that I am contributing to the world in a positive way and that is the greatest pleasure I get. My job is to ask questions, not to provide answers. 

 
Your films feel very personal, do you think film making is a collaborative effort? 

Absolutely. I just provide a framework and someone that takes the responsibility of the end product. Within that framework, my cast and crew are free to play, I’d call it “organic cultivation”. A few team members have commented that because I carry responsibility and because the work is auteured, it surprisingly gives them more freedom to express themselves. 

What are your long term goals?
To keep making more important films, better films, that gain a wider audience while maintaining the original passion and originality that I have. To stay alive for as long as it is meaningful.