BISFF Correspondence 通信计划
This program involves conducting brief email interviews with the directors of the international films featured in the festival, in lieu of the traditional Q&A session that follows the screenings. Through this program, we hope to provide a platform for filmmakers to discuss their work and share their insights with our audience in China.
为了跨越种种障碍，开辟更多交流空间，我们设置了“BISFF Correspondence 通信计划”，对部分国际单元的参展作者进行系列访谈，这些访谈将在作品放映后发布在联展各个媒体平台。
The Assistant｜La Asistente｜助理人
Pierre Llanos
2023｜0:19:43｜Perú｜Spanish ｜Chinese Mainland Premiere
Director: Pierre Llanos
Interviewer & Translator: Zifei Wang
Coordinator & Editor: Suliko
导演：皮埃尔·利亚诺斯
采访、翻译：王紫菲
统筹、编辑：苏丽珂
Q1: The Assistant explores themes of growing up and familial duty by capturing a formative moment in a 12-year-old girl’s life, who discovers the "secret" of her doctor father whom she has been assisting. What prompted you to tell this particular story?
《助理⼈》捕捉了一个12岁女孩在成长过程中的关键一刻，展现了个人成长与家庭责任之间的微妙张力。影片中，女孩意外发现了她一直协助的医生父亲所隐藏的“秘密”。是什么触动了您去构思这样一个故事，并最终将其搬上银幕？
A1: Many national issues and personal experiences came together to build this story. Probably the main one was wanting to portray child labor in a powerful and meaningful way for me. In Peru, child labor is no longer a problem, but rather a reality that spans across most social classes and no longer generates any kind of questioning. I always wanted to bring this issue to the cinema through the perspective of a child. The Assistant was the opportunity to do so.
很多国家层面的议题和个体经验共同铸就了这个故事。对我而言，创作这部作品的核心动力在于以一种深刻而有意义的方式展现童工这一现象。在秘鲁，童工不仅只是一个社会“问题”，而是一个涉及大多数社会阶层的普遍现实，几乎不再引发任何质疑。我一直希望通过一个孩子的视角将这一现象带⼊电影，而《助理⼈》正是实现这一目标的契机。
Q2: The setting plays a crucial role in the storytelling, situated in a building with a bustling Chinese restaurant on the ground floor and a clinic operating just above. It feels incredibly grounded and realistic, capturing a sense of lived-in authenticity. Could you share more about the setting? Which came first—the story or the location? Did one inspire the other?
拍摄场景在叙事中起到了至关重要的作用。故事发生的建筑里，一楼是热闹非凡的中餐馆，楼上则是一家诊所。这个场景设定让故事显得格外贴近现实，充满烟火气息与真实感。您能否分享关于这个拍摄场景的构思细节？是故事先成型，还是场景先被选定？两者之间是否相互启发？
A2: In my country, it is very common for clandestine abortion clinics to be hidden behind the facades of other businesses. Specifically in Lima (the capital), there are certain areas where these clinics are on the second floor of Chinese-Peruvian restaurants; everyone knows about this and no one says anything. The script for the short film was always written with both spaces in mind, as it was narratively important for the child protagonist to move between a public space and another, a hidden, marginal one.
在我的国家秘鲁，地下的堕胎诊所常常隐蔽在其他商业场所的掩护之下。特别是在首都利马，这些诊所有时会设在中餐馆的二楼，这是一个公开的秘密，⼈们心照不宣。从剧本构思的初期，这两个空间的设定就被纳⼊考量，因为让孩子（主⼈公）在公共空间与一个隐蔽、边缘化的空间之间穿梭，对于推动故事情节发展至关重要。
The Assistant, Pierre Llanos, 2023
Q3: The grainy, nostalgic aesthetic adds a distinct character to the film, almost like a memory coming to life, while the frequent use of close-ups and medium shots creates a sense of closeness and quiet observation. What camera or equipment did you use to achieve the visual result? Could you share more about how these choices were made?
颗粒感和怀旧美学为电影增添了独特的质感，就像一段回忆变得栩栩如生。而频繁运用特写与中景镜头，则营造出一种亲近感和静谧的观察感。请问您是使用何种相机或设备来实现这样的视觉效果？能否分享更多关于这些选择背后的考量？
A3: In fact, the visual style of the short film was inspired by the early films of Wong Kar Wai, one of my favorite directors. His visual style of handheld camera, grainy dreamlike images, and saturated colors were features I wanted in this project. I have always believed that the spaces in Hong Kong discovered in his films and the way he chooses to portray them could easily be translated to Lima, and it would work just as well. This short film is a personal first experiment in trying to bring that visual style to the spaces and realities I know.
这部短片的视觉风格深受我最喜爱的导演之一——王家卫早期作品的启发。他标志性的手持摄影、颗粒感的梦幻影像以及饱和浓烈的色彩，正是我希望在这个项目中呈现的特色。我一直认为，他电影中对香港空间的捕捉以及呈现这些空间的方式，可以巧妙地转译到利马的语境中，并同样产生生动而深刻的效果。这部短片是我首次将这种视觉风格融⼊我所熟悉的空间与现实的一次探索。
Q4: While the film centres on the father-daughter bond, the encounter between Clara, the protagonist, and the patient seeking an abortion is also pivotal to the story. How did you approach portraying this interaction, and what role did it play in the development of Clara’s character?
尽管影片的核心是父女之间的关系，但主⼈公克拉拉（Clara）与寻求堕胎患者的相遇同样是推动故事发展的关键。您是如何呈现这段互动的？它在克拉拉角色塑造与成长中发挥了怎样的作用？
A4: The character of Antonia, the young woman who comes to have an abortion, is important because she creates a new responsibility for Clara: she no longer just wants to help her father with the work, but also takes on the responsibility for Antonia's physical safety. It’s the way she has learned to live her life. The actresses developed a strong bond during rehearsals, so the construction of this relationship was very natural in front of the camera.
安东尼娅这个角色，也就是那位前来寻求堕胎的年轻女性，扮演着至关重要的角色，因为她让克拉拉产生了新的责任感：克拉拉不再只是单纯地帮助父亲工作，而是开始主动承担起保护安东尼娅身体安全的责任。这意味着她学会了独立思考，自主地生活。两位演员在排练过程中建立了深厚的默契，因此，她们在镜头前建立起的这种关系显得格外自然。
The Assistant, Pierre Llanos, 2023
Q5: Finally, is there anything from the filmmaking process that stands out to you as particularly memorable and that you'd like to share with us?
最后，您在电影制作过程中有没有什么特别难忘的经历，想要和我们分享的？
A5: Possibly, the most relevant aspect that I believe is worth highlighting is the casting process for the character of Clara. It was an ambitious process for a short film, for us, with around 40 girls cast in two different stages: one where we talked to the girls about the topics addressed in the project, and another with specific acting exercises. Additionally, it was not only a casting of the girl, but also of her family members, who had to be our allies in the process, as we needed a lot of maturity from everyone regarding these topics. Illari Perez shone during the process; she was the best of all, and it was very easy to work with her.
整个选角过程分为两个阶段，共有大约 40 名女孩参与试镜，对一个短片的制作来说，这是一个还挺奢侈的过程。在第一阶段，我们与女孩们探讨了影片中涉及的主题；第二阶段则是通过具体的表演练习来进行筛选。此外，选角不仅限于女孩本⼈，还涉及到她的家庭成员，因为我们希望在这个过程中得到他们的支持，并确保他们对这些敏感话题有成熟的理解。伊拉里·佩雷斯（Illari Perez）在试镜中脱颖而出，无疑是所有参与者中最出色的，与她的合作非常顺利。
more information: https://www.bisff.co/selection/the-assistant