Filmmaker, Asif Kapadia, interviewed by Sarita Malik

Abstract

Asif Kapadia is one of the most exciting filmmakers today. Born in 1972, and raised in Hackney, London, he went on to study at the Royal College of Art in London. His graduation short, The Sheep Thief (1997), was awarded the Jury Prize at Cannes. This was a critical turning‐point in Kapadia's career and led to the making of his first feature film, The Warrior (2001), produced by Film Four. It is described by Kapadia as a samurai film set in India and established the director's trademark magic‐realist style. Shot in the Rajasthan desert and peaks of the Himalayas, the film is based on an ancient Japanese folk story, and is centred on Lafcadia, a warrior who lays down his sword, forsakes violence and seeks redemption. The Warrior won Kapadia the ‘Best Newcomer Award’ at the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2003 and he was awarded the ‘Best British Film of the Year’ (Alexander Korda Award) by BAFTA in 2002. Kapadia went on to direct the feature film, The Return (2006) in Hollywood, which he describes as having been ‘a very tough experience’. He then moved on to his third feature film, Far North (2007) set in the Arctic (and filmed in a remote Norwegian island) based on a short story by the feminist writer Sara Maitland. This dark, tragic film tells the story of two women struggling to survive in extreme harsh conditions and how their relationship develops when a wounded man enters their world. In this interview, Kapadia talks about his background, the kind of cinema he has been engaged with and some of the industrial politics, and offers his thoughts on the idea of South Asian popular culture today.