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。
Tigers｜群虎
Alfredo Marimon Carcamo
2024｜0:22:44｜Colombia｜Castilian Spanish｜Asian Premiere
Director: Alfredo Marimon Carcamo
Interviewer & Translator: Berger
Coordinator & Editor: Suliko
导演：阿尔弗雷多·马里蒙·卡尔卡莫
采访、翻译：杨士博
统筹、编辑：苏丽珂
Q1: The hero of this film is Idier, but the title is "Tigers." I think this title has a strong sense of tension. Why did you choose this name? Does it have any metaphorical or thematic meaning?
这部影片的主角是Idier，但片名却是《群虎》（Tigers）。这个片名非常有张力，您为什么选择这个名字的？它是否承载了某种隐喻或主题意义？
A1: There are several convergences around the film’s title. On one hand, influenced by the Greater Caribbean, the term Tiger/Tiguere/Tigre has been incorporated into Cartagena’s popular culture as a reference to dangerous and fearless men. At the same time, the neighborhood where the characters of this universe live uses a gas station called "La Bomba del Tigre" as a geographical landmark, which made the term easily popularized in this area of the city. Beyond this brief etymology, "Tigers" are predators driven by a survival instinct that sharpens whenever life is at stake.
这部短片的标题蕴含着几个方面的意义，一方面，受到大加勒比地区（the Greater Caribbean）的影响，“老虎”（Tiger / Tiguere / Tigre）一词已经融入了喀他赫纳（Cartagena，哥伦比亚的一座海港城市，译注）的流行文化，用来形容那种危险且勇敢的男人。同时，电影中角色所在地区的地标是一座名为“La Bomba del Tigre”（老虎炸弹）的加油站，这使得“老虎”这个词在这一地区变得很流行。除了这些简短的词源解释，老虎还意味着在生存本能驱使下的捕食者，当它们的生命受到威胁时，这种本能会增强。
Q2: The cinematography in this film is impressive, especially the extensive use of shallow-focus shots. Could you share the creative intention about this style? Does it have a specific connection to the character’s psychological state?
影片的摄影非常引人注目，尤其是大量浅焦镜头的运用。您能分享一下选择这种摄影手法的创作初衷吗？它是否与角色的心理状态有特别的关联？
A2: Indeed, the cinematography aimed to emphasize Idier’s psychological state, not only through depth of field but also through camera movement and sound. At the same time, there was a conscious understanding of the production team’s technical capabilities. Due to limited resources, the camera was operated by a single person, making it difficult to achieve precise focus for many shots. With this clarity, we decided to expressively leverage this production condition to depict the unfolding of the character’s psyche. Throughout the film, Idier undergoes a profound crisis—transitioning from feeling powerful and in control to being rejected by his family and abandoned by his accomplices.
确实，我们希望通过景深、镜头运动和声音来强调Idier的心理状态。与此同时，我们也清楚制作团队的技术条件有限。由于资源限制，摄影机只能由一个人操作，这导致许多镜头很难实现精准对焦。在意识到这一点后，我们决定干脆把这个现实局限作为表现手法来展现角色心理。在影片中，Idier经历了一场深刻的危机——从认为自己强大到可以掌控一切，到被家庭拒绝、被同伙抛弃。
Tigers, Alfredo Marimon Carcamo, 2024
Q3: There are several unexplained plots in the short film, such as Idier’s motive for shooting another person and the reason for his expulsion from the gang. Why did you choose this narrative strategy?
短片中有许多未被解释的情节，比如Idier枪杀另一个人的动机，以及他被帮派驱逐的原因。您为何选择这样的叙事策略？
A3: The writing process for this film drew heavily from my own life experiences and those of the protagonists. Essentially, much of this universe resonates personally with them and with me. Together, we agreed that the logic of violence in a city like Cartagena often defies explanation. While acknowledging the power structures that foster and perpetuate these forms of violence, this film serves as an initial exploration of a universe full of complexities. On the other hand, I am not interested in cinema that explains life or conveys truths; I am interested in cinema that allows the viewer to experience a journey and question the meaning of the images.
这部电影的写作过程深受我个人和主演们生活经历的影响。本质上，故事里的世界与我们每个人都产生着共鸣。我们都同意在像喀他赫纳这样的城市中，暴力的逻辑往往难以解释。在承认权力结构助长和维系了这些暴力的同时，这部电影只是对一个复杂世界的初步探索。另一方面，我对“解释生活”或“表达真理”的电影不感兴趣，我更希望电影能够让观众感受这段旅程并去对影像的意义产生质疑。
Q4: The beach scene at the end is particularly striking, like delusion between reality and dream, especially the moment when some people stand behind Idier. How did you conceive this scene? What do you want audience to interpret from it?
结尾的海边场景非常特别，仿佛介于现实与梦境之间，尤其是众人站在Idier身后的一幕。您是如何构思这一场景的？您希望观众从中解读出什么呢？
A4: In its early drafts, the script had a much more poetic and dreamlike tone, but due to the nature of our production, we had to set aside many ideas that emphasized this blurring of boundaries between dreams, paranoia, and reality. This scene remains because of the need for a farewell. Idier is observed by his loved ones, who are dressed in mourning for his departure, and is threatened by his former accomplice, who remains uncertain about his actions. Despite the lack of a resolution, the allegory of death is what stands out.
在早期的剧本草稿中，故事的基调实际上更加诗意和梦幻，但由于制作的实际情况，我们不得不舍弃了许多表现梦境、妄想与现实不断交织的想法。最后的这一场景之所以保留下来，是因为这是一个告别。亲人们注视着Idier，他们穿着丧服为他的离去送行；与此同时，此前的帮派对他的威胁仍然存在，他们对他心存疑虑。尽管这部电影没有明确的结局，但关于死亡的寓言是最为突出的。
Tigers, Alfredo Marimon Carcamo, 2024
Q5: I noticed that you’ve curated a list of favorite films on MUBI, including Claire Denis’s Beau travail. Did these films inspire you during the conception and production of your films? How do you see their influence on your works?
我注意到您在MUBI上收藏了一些喜爱的影片，比如克莱尔·德尼的《军中禁恋》（Beau travail）。在构思和拍摄自己的作品时，这些影片是否为您提供了灵感？您如何看待它们对您的创作的影响？
A5: For several years, I have worked with this group of young people from the Olaya neighborhood, and I have always been struck by the way they celebrate masculinity. Perhaps this curiosity about a homoerotic tension can be felt in connection to Claire’s film. However, as a programmer for the Cartagena Film Festival, I primarily nurture my perspective with Latin American references. I feel much more connected to cinema created in the Global South. In the case of Tigers, two references influenced, to varying degrees, some aesthetic and narrative decisions: on one hand, City of God, with its thematic overlap in exploring violence within Black communities; and on the other, Manta Ray by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng, which delves into male bonds amidst grief and a constant sense of loss.
这些年以来，我一直与奥拉亚（Olaya）地区的年轻人合作，他们对所谓男子气概的庆祝方式一直让我印象深刻。这种对同性之间暧昧张力的好奇心在某种程度上也许与克莱尔·德尼的电影有关系。然而，作为喀他赫纳电影节的节目策划，我主要还是受到拉丁美洲电影作品的影响。我感觉自己与全球南方的电影有更深的联系。在《群虎》的创作中，有两部作品在不同程度上影响了我的美学和叙事选择：一部是《上帝之城》（City of God），它和《群虎》有所呼应，因为我们都探索黑人社区的暴力主题；另一部是泰国导演普蒂邦·阿朗潘（Phuttiphong Aroonpheng）的《蝠鲼》（Manta Ray），它探索了悲伤中的男性纽带以及持续的失落感。
more information: https://www.bisff.co/selection/tigers