91st Oscars Backstage Interview Transcript: SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

SPEECH BY: Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman

FILM: "SKIN"

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A. (Guy Nattiv)  Wow. 
A. (Jaime Ray Newman)  We went in a spaceship and landed here.  I don't know how that happened. 

Q. [Speaks in Hebrew.]  They asked me to speak in English.  I'll ask this in English.  I've seen ever since you were announced as a nominee this film in Israel has been considered as our sort of unofficial representative.  Do you feel like you carry a sense of, you know, ambassadorship or trying to represent Israel in some way in this very big venue?  And also, you can talk about what you are going to do to celebrate tonight. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Well, first of all, you know, it is half Israeli movie because most of the people that made it   
A. (Jaime Ray Newman)  Half the crew was   
A. (Guy Nattiv)     half the crew was Israeli, so myself, Sharon Maymon, Yuval Orr edited it, and, you know, the whole team behind it were Israelis.  And it's kind of an amazing combination between Israel and the States.  So I definitely see it as also Israeli film, especially coming here and talking about racism and dealing with racism.  It's a very hot topic in Israel too.  So, you know, I just    I just feel this is representative of, you know    Israel is part    giant part of me.  And a big inspiration of what I do here in the States, so definitely.  Oh, how am I going to celebrate?  Gee, I don't know.  You know, they are taking us to the Elton John party.  Woo.  Where Jamie Bell is going to host.  Jamie Bell is the lead in my feature SKIN.  So we have a baby SKIN, and we have a feature SKIN that already premiered in Toronto. 
A. (Jaime Ray Newman)  July 22nd of this year it's coming out, or July 26th. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Yeah.  A24 bought it.  So we are waiting to see Jamie Bell and Elton John, and it's going to be fucking cool. 

Q. Amazing film.  I thought I had heard a snippet of the great Mica Levi score from UNDER THE SKIN and a certain point in that film, and I was wondering if you can just talk about the approach to music.  It just has a very chilling ambiance throughout the whole movie. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Mica Levi is probably the musician that influenced me more than any musician right now.  I'm very influenced by her work, and I think that our musician was influenced by that too.  Inspiration, I would call it.  So, yeah, definitely Mica Levi.  And I hope to work with her one day on my next film. 

Q. Guy and Jaime, congratulations.  I love the film. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Thank you so much, man. 

Q. Considering this country is run by not only a racist president but also someone who embraces white supremacist organizations, how much do you think this film is going to help to fight the horror that this man is bringing to the world?  Sorry.  I'm getting emotional, but I think it's horrible.  Unacceptable. 
A. (Jaime Ray Newman)  I don't think that we were trying to make a political statement necessarily.  I think that a lot of Guy's work and the work that I'm interested in    you know, Guy is the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors.  He grew up with stories about the Holocaust.  I'm Jewish as well.  And I think that we just deeply want to explore.  In the short, we explored what you teach your children is going to perpetuate the next generation.  We have a 5 month old.  So we see she's a sponge, and everything we do, she inherits.  So the film starts out with a father shaving that boy's head because he's literally carving him in his own image.  And the feature, which is next, is a true story about a Nazi racist, a very famous neo Nazi skinhead, who was covered in neo Nazi tattoos, and through the collaboration with a black activist, got all them taken off.  And I think that the beauty of Guy as a filmmaker is he doesn't pound anything over your head.  He's subtle.  He says these are the questions.  I don't have answers, but these are the questions. 

Q. Congratulations on the film.  It's powerful, poignant.  Tell me about the ending and how you came up with the ending as it is.  It's shocking. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  What's your name again?

Q. Janet.  Janet Walker.
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Janet.  I really don't want to talk about the ending because it's a spoiler.  I know.  I don't want any   

Q. Well, Congratulations anyway.  Thank you so much. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Thank you so much.  I'm sorry about that.

Q. Hi. 
A. (Jaime Ray Newman)  Hi.  You've met Alma.

Q. Yes, we have.  Guy, this is for you.  I know that for your first short film that you made straight out of uni, you were shortlisted for an Oscar.  How does it feel to be here again with another short and win? 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Well, I    it's    it's surreal.  It's unreal.  I will digest it probably a couple of months after the Oscar.  You know, it's just taking it step by step.  This is    I just moved out here, like, you know, four years ago.  So to do a short with my amazing wife as a producer and as a collaborator is a dream.  But this is beyond that.  So to be part of this    and we had an amazing, amazing, amazing short films with us, you know, in the same category.  So we are thankful.  We are inspired.  Yes.  Yeah. 

Q. Thank you so much and congratulations to both of you. 
A. (Guy Nattiv)  Thank you so much.

 

 


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