Oliver Laxe Says Fear Drove Him Into Filmmaking, at Thessaloniki
Filmmaker Oliver Laxe told the Thessaloniki Film Festival that he became a director largely to protect himself. He spoke about fear, vulnerability and self-doubt, according to Variety, in a conversation with the festival's programming chief, Yorgos Krassakopoulos.
The festival had invited Laxe to curate a special sidebar called "Welcome to the Desert." It brings together 17 films set in the desert. The list includes Lawrence of Arabia, Easy Rider, Laxe's own Mimosas and his film Sirat.
Mimosas won a prize in Cannes Critics' Week in 2016. Laxe's first feature win at Thessaloniki came in 2019, when Fire Will Come took the festival's Golden Alexander, its top prize.
On stage, Laxe reflected on what keeps him going. "I am searching for love. I, too, seek a way to cross the desert. I have wounds," he said.
Sirat has travelled a long way. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and it was partly shot on location in Morocco's Sahara Desert. The story follows a father who searches for his daughter, who disappeared after going to a rave in the desert.
The festival is also running a free installation linked to the sidebar. Titled "Welcome to the Desert II: Will They Find Us Not?", it sits at the West Guardhouse, Gate 1, in the Port of Thessaloniki, according to the festival's website. It is open every day from 13:00 to 21:00 for the whole festival. The festival says it includes two extended reality works and electronic sounds composed by Kangding Ray for the Sirat soundtrack.
For anyone in the city, the installation is the simplest way to see the desert theme up close. Nothing needs to be booked, and the doors are open for the length of the festival.
