Felice Hapetzeder
Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
Born in Sweden 1973, son of an Italian father and Austrian mother.
Education:
2002 – 2003 Postgrduate Video project, Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm
1997 – 2002 Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, The Department of Fine Arts, MFA, Stockholm
1996 – 1997 Stockholm University, History of art
1994 – 1996 Idun Lovén art school, Stockholm
1993 – 1994 Nykelviksskolan art school, Stockholm
2. When, how and why started you filming?
I started filming in 1996 or 1997.
Pippilotti Rist was a huge inspiration.
3. What kind of subjects have your films?
I am interested in what creates identity. How aspects such as nationality, ethnicity and sexuality form what we become. During the last few years – in the process of the project Limits of forgiveness – I have been engaged with how events, which we have not experienced ourselves, still affect us through parents or other influences during growth.
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
I try to investigate different approaches to moving images. For instance how a story is told in a dramatized documentary. But first of all there has to be an issue that interests me. The formal part is mostly something which comes second or is shaped by the over all concept. This could change in future.
5. How do you approach such complicated matter like Shoah represents?
I don’t think that I would ever have touched on the subject if I hadn’t had some personal life experience which touches on it. It still took way over five years for me from the first notes or draft until I could understand how to begin working on a piece. But when I begun with the issue, in Onkel Kurti (23 minutes HDV 2008), about my growing up in part with an old nazi in Austria, I was just drawn into the subject and continued working with other peoples’ experience in the next body of work, Limits of forgiveness 2.
6. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.. What about digital technology?
It’s amazing how we are moving forward with technology. It’s expensive for the individual artist to constantly be on the forefront of evolution and the count of K. At the moment I use a Canon HV20 HDV camera. It is still ok to use if I put on the external mic. HDV compression is already the format of yesterday and I have hardly had opportunity to show it in native format yet, due to the lack of higher definition equipment in most art institutions. So there is a lot of lagging behind, I will not quite see the outcome of the first investments until I will hopefully have already invested in the next generation gear with natively progressive HD.
7. How do you finance your films?
Thru the process with Limits of forgiveness 1-2, and thru the laborious process of applying for support, I have been lucky to receive some grants and three paid residences.
8. Do you work individually as a video artist/film maker or do you work in a team?
if you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
Until now, individually.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
Everything that interests me in society and life! People, politics, media, psychology, art, literature, film, TV, cinematography…
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
To keep developing as an artist! Not to lose that feeling of that what I am doing is something important. Continue to deepen my understanding of documentary styles, cinematography and the blurry territory of film art/art video. Professionalization without losing that special openness and humility. I’d like to be part of interesting contexts. Get commissioned for participating in great shows.
Can works of yours viewed online besides on VideoChannel/SFC? Where?
List some links & resources
Most works are in distribution by Filmform www.filmform.com
Art institutions can get preview copies of work by mail.