Dana Ziyasheva’s latest film GREATLAND – capitals intentional – is a superbly unique fantasy, set in a post-Covid world, where cats and dogs are run the country and men are married to trees. We speak to the visionary filmmaker about her ambitious film, which is now available on digital from Indie Rights.
Greatland is something very different from the norm. Did you consciously set out to make something people don’t see every day?
Yes, I wanted to make a movie that I myself would want to watch. Something unpredictable, entertaining and at the same time genuine, no factory settings, no filters. Something exciting and timeless like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I wanted to tap into America’s zeitgeist and show it from the perspective of an outsider. As indie film-makers, we were able to retain creative control and tell the story the way we wanted.
Can you tell us about some of the filmmakers who influenced your style – clearly the brilliant David Lynch has made an impression?
Growing up I was influenced by Luis Buñuel, Miloš Forman and Stanley Kubrick. I’m a big fan of Kathryn Bigelow, love everything about her, from the movie she makes to how cool she is. Bollywood super-productions directed by Sanjay Bhansali, are always a refined, vibrant and exhilarating spectacle. I thought that wrapping Clockwork Orange rage into a party remix of Ravel and Prokofiev would be a fitting homage to daring film-makers of my childhood. Greatland turned out to be an eye-popping spectacle thanks to all the Indian, Chinese and Korean costume dramas that I binge-watched during the Greatland ‘gestation’ period. My costume designer insisted on Greatland being a period piece; I encouraged her to dress GREATS in the most outrageous street fashion from around the world from Japanese Harajuku and Rio Carnival Balls to homeless chic in Ukraine.
It’s rather eerie that its about a virus – and yet was made years before. Did you have a magic mirror in your house!?
I wish I had a magic mirror in my house! As every country, Greatland has a religion. It has the fear of death at its core and rooted in a belief in resurrection. Since Greats are uneducated (they are actually too evolved to be bothered with education) and arrogant they believe that together with birth, Mother gives them immortality. Remember they screamed “Born GREAT, born immortal! Heil Mother and Glory to Greatland!” in the first trailer. That’s where the Virus comes in and kills two birds with one stone. First, it explains why immortal GREATS still die – because of the Virus; second, it installs Evildom that invented the Virus, as a common enemy, in the minds of Greats. The Evil Virus ties their fears of death with the belief that one day Altruists, the demiurges of Greatland, will find a Cure for the Virus and will resurrect those who already succumbed to it.
What is the film saying…?
Each character in Greatland represents certain tendencies in today’s society taken to their extreme. Greatland is an allegorical foray into American’s mindset, and it’s a mess. The main message of Greatland is that we should all stop shouting at each other from opposite corners and come together to find a compromise and a way forward.
And did the cast all ‘get’, immediately, what you were going for here?
I did explain every actor his or her character and role in Greatland during the rehearsals. We were filming at break-neck speed. In one of his interviews Bill Oberst Jr. mentioned that during the production everybody was asking each other what the movie is about, and no one knew exactly. Then 2020 came and they realised what back in 2017 we were predicting the near future.
How long ago did you start writing the script?
I wrote it in one month in 2017 when I saw an opportunity to do a movie in the US. It does encapsulate impressions that I accumulated during my two-decade tenure with the United Nations around the world.
Did it take a while to get the film off the ground? Was it a lot of door-knocking?
Once we had a script, we were able to quickly go ahead into pre-production stage. The money was raised from private investors within a couple of months.
When did you complete your first cut?
I completed the first cut in January 2019, then we went for 4 more months of polishing it with another editor, for a fresh eye.
Has the film been doing the festivals or did you decide to bypass all that and go straight to the consumer?
We had in depth discussions with the Cannes Film Festival. Greatland was too unusual for them; as a Kazakh woman-filmmaker I’m supposed to talk about my reality back in Kazakhstan, oppression of traditional society and all that jazz. The Moscow Film Festival took us but we couldn’t attend. From what I heard, critical and audience response was positive and encouraging.
Have you tested the film for an audience? How was the feedback?
Yes, we did and response depended on the age, political affiliations and geolocation. Love it or hate it, no one says it’s boring. Greatland is polarising; truth always is.
Anything you edited or cut from the film that you wished you hadn’t?
I wish I could include the Greatland Sweetheart Election Debate in its entirety. In this debate the supporters of the Felinist party candidate Cat Purry and the Woof Party fans are going hard at each other, and it’s hilariously absurd.
What an amazing ensemble. Had you worked with any before?
Eric Roberts, Nick Moran, Jacky Loeb, Bill Oberst Jr. and J. P. Manoux were wonderful to work with, for the first time. They were game to create this weird world of an imaginary country. I also want to give a shout out to the younger generation of actors that shine in their roles: Arman Darbo and Chloe Ray Warmoth and supporting Donzell Lewis, Ryan Semantel, Storm Wilbur and Nhya Cedon.
How has Covid-19 affected your work? If at all?
We finished the post-prod on the eve of COVID. It affected our distribution strategies, ironically for the better I’d say. However, the entire slate of projects in development such as our documentary “In the Cut” about youth in detention in Ohio, a historic drama set in Medieval France and others, have been put on hold.