Five questions with Herman's House director Angad Bhalla
- What was your path to becoming a filmmaker?
While I have been interested in watching films for as long as I can remember, my interest in making films emerged out of my work as a community organizer. One of the most important elements of organizing is having a compelling narrative as to why a certain change was necessary.
Invariably the most powerful narratives are human ones that resonate emotionally with an audience. My first forays into film making, were essentially attempts at creating campaign tools for groups that I was working with. The goals of these campaigns varied from increasing funding for a New Hampshire community center, to ending child labor in South Africa, to supporting resisting the displacement of Indian villagers by a controversial mining project. With each film, I worked closely with the community who was leading the campaign.
Eventually, I became more interested in more complex narratives that needed more time to unravel and embarked upon my first feature doc Herman's House.
- Five films that have influenced you:
Children of Heaven -Majid Majidi
The Gleaners and I -Agnes Varda
35 Shots of Rum -Claire Denis
Harlan County -Barbara Kopple
Gandhi -Richard Attenborough
- What do you enjoy most about the filmmaking process?
I enjoy problem solving in the editing process. While editing, you are continually faced with challenges of which direction to take the story and where to place those essential scenes and moments that you were able to capture on camera. With every problem you solve you possibly create another one and I can't think of anything more fun than putting this puzzle together.
- In relation to your current film, what's one thing you'd like audiences to take away from it?
I'd like people to take away any society, like America's, that puts over 80,000 people in solitary cages for years on end in the name of justice needs to rediscover the meaning of the word and reform it's prison system.
- What was a favourite/unexpected moment that happened during the making of the film?
I think my favorite moment during the making of the film was receiving a phone call from Herman Wallace that after 36 years he was moved out of solitary confinement. Hearing his description of what it was like to interact with others and how it felt to be able to walk freely was moving.
Herman's House begins its run at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema tonight. Director Angad Singh Bhalla and producer Lisa Valencia-Svensson will be in attendance for a post-screening Q & A on Friday, October 12, at 9 p.m. You can book tickets here.
