Your first film „ Black and white in color“ won Academy Award.Did it somehow help you to pave the way for you in a way of obtaining money and getting respect from colleagues?

It opened the door for me in film industry in America.But I declined not to go right away to Hollywoood.Right after my Academy Award I got three offers to do a film there and I felt it was very dangerous.For me and also for Hollywood.People there are looking for fame.They want to capitalize on the fame and that‘s not good.You have to make a good movie.Although it was my first movie I was shooting since I left film FIM school because I was commercial director and I have already made about 200 commercials and I was shooting almost every day.I learnt a lot about actors, angles, shooting and it was big experience for me. I must admit  after four years I got serious nervous breakdown since these commericals were for bad products. There is a danger that you can stay doing commercials since it‘s easily earned money and you don‘ t put into it anything from yourself.Anyway, after winning an Oscar precisely I said to myself I should not ruin the privilege to have this surprise award and I was going to wait for right movie.Then I did second movie in France. It was good success and then I prepared much more ambitious film and that was „Quest for fire“. I would never get the money for this movie if I had not got the Academy Award. In Hollywood they were already interested in that young commercial director that I was, but it was not just after Academy Award, it was 10 years of my commercials under my belt.I was 30 years old and in Hollywoood they are very eager for people from everywhere, look at Miloš Forman.So this Academy Award gave me really big push but it was not the only reason.The other reason was that I was already working for Americans doing commercials so I was known there as upcoming director. Especially at young age the award gives you incredible push when you are more into career.

Almost every of your films is awarded which must please you.But, isn’t  that also bit binding cos everybody expects you to film again something extraordinary and you are not free at work?

No,I don’ t think about that.I make film and I make risks.Sometimes they don’ t show your film in one territory or another.Even my film “Bear” which was big success, failed in Sweden and in Brasil. Film “Name of the rose” had no success in America at all.They hated idea of Sean Connery being a monk, because he was James Bond for them.I had very bad reviews and the public just didn’ t want to see Sean Connery in that role, they didn¨t accept him as a monk.I had very sort of free career.I never knew what kind of success can I have.It is always unpredictable.For this new film “Wolf Totem”, we had unexpected success, much larger than I thought.So far it was seen by 18 million people.But I can’ t talk about box office when I shoot.I don’ t think about my previous movies, I always feel like a beginner with lots of experience.The awards I get in Cannes, Berlin, Venezia or LA are something else.It’ s a pleasant bonus but I don’ t think that audience really cares.Only the professional cares.If you ask me who got the price in Cannes, I don’ t remember.If you look at the Academy Awards in the past..... "Birdman", very good movie didn’ t do any business so it means that these awards are disconnected with people..The danger of award is when director thinks that he a a genious.This then polutes your freedom.What was happy for me was, when I was a very young guy I started making small commercials.I was 19,5.I got many awards but it didn’ t change my perseption of myself.It’ s extremelly pleasant to get statue for award but I don’ t think about it.Some of my friends(a composer) who got Academy Award for music, he has it on piano and he cannot play anymore.Because he thinks about Academy award and “ I have to be on the level with Academy Award” instead of just being innocent.You have to be a child to do the this job.If you think you are a genius, you are dead.You have to struggle the same way with same pleasure.When I was a young boy a famous director Francois Truffaut helped me a lot.He liked me and he said something extraordinary to me” Jean Jacques, don’ t read the reviews, specially the good ones.Don’ t read any of the reviews.I have been film critic and destroyed many directors and now when I am a director I never read reviews”. At that time I thought”What is he telling me?”He was right about telling me this” You have to be yourself.What your heart thinks is honest and good.You cannot satisfy everyone.There will be always something wrong in people’ s eyes”.My recommendation is” If people like you, they like you for other reasons and if you are yourself, it is good. If you try to be someone else, it’s never good.It is too difficult to be a director, if on top of yourself you have the image of yourself, it is like having a mask.No, no, take off your mask, make what you feel like doing and great if you have public that comes to see your film.The award gives you strength and joy to continue.What is important are people on the street.You may be in a distant country and someone crosses the street and say “Are you a director?” and I say “Yes” they mention the movie of yours they have seen, it’ s wonderfull.I also had something opposite.One day I was in Nice and the guy came to me with his girlfriend and said”Are you the asshole who did the movie "Bear"? and I said “ Yes” and he continued” It’ s a horrible movie, when I think I have spent 20 euros and also I had to buy a pizza for my friend”.So I picked up my wallet and told him I will reimbursed him and gave him 20 euros.He took it and said”I forgot, there was a parking for 5 euros, so it cost me 25 euros”.(Don’t print it cos there may be long queues of film viewers who would like to be reimbursed” )says Mr. Annaud laughing.

How does it work when you prepare your film, how do you come up to the idea of filming this topic.Do you get offers or ideas or you strictly choose it yourself?

Whatever I read or when I hear a story I always see the images.Even when I read the newspaper I see the movie, it’s already built, cut, we call it “professional deformation”.If you are a shoemaker, you always look at shoes.I started making my little movies when I was 7 years old.So all my life I have been thinking about angles, sound etc.First thing I do is I write a scene.When you write screenplay, it’s already camera, angles.I always write screenplay. I don’ t like shooting without it.I want to see images first in my head.Then, when I start I try to find what I have seen in my head.My function is having a movie in my head, then put it on paper and then put it onto film.That’ s the process.I always spend about a year with writing.It’s complicated to write cos it may be too long, screenplay is about 100 pages.You have to write dialogues.I think improvisation is very dangerous, because you would follow the mood of the day and not the mood of the story.Some movies can be done by improvisation but it’ s not my style.My movies are almost exactly as I had them in my head.

When you made a film “Bear” with no dialogues, how many pages did screenplay have?

About 65, because if you see bear going into forest, how many shots it will take?On contrary I give you an example from film “Enemy at the gates”.The opening scene is very intense with shooting and bombing and it is only two pages.We made it one morning and when it was finished I looked at my screenwriter and he asked me” How much money do you think we just spent?”I said “ About 10 million dollars”.Just that morning we spent so much money.Scene started on Volga, eighty boats struggle through black smoke.”How many people will we use?One hundred, no...... two hundred, no...... thousands”So there are thousands of soldiers, thousands of costumes, thousands of meals, cars, buses for transport.It was all real, boats and everything, only the planes we animated.About 90% is real, the rest is animated.You have to build exactly what you needed, if you build too much, it may never be seen on the screen.It’ s my job to know what will be seen on the screen, that is why I make drawings which I give to my department and they build exactly what I need.

Which of  your films do you prefer, something like "Quest for fire", "Bear" or "Enemy at the gates"?

None of them.I like them all cos they require different experience and different feelings.That makes the energy flow.I believe that if you make all the time same movies, you will get very bored.You know when I was 18 years old I knew all musicals made by Minelli and when I met him, he told me” Don’ t make same mistakes as I did by making same films.I made musicals and I hate them.When I try to film something different I fail, because people labelled me.Try to do it differently.When I met Hitchcock first time I went to Los Angeles, he said to me” Don’ t do like me, don’ t do always same movies” and I learned that very quickly you get labelled.And that is very bad.So those words influenced me very much.

We like the movie "Two brothers", where was it filmed?

In Cambodia.I got a permission from the King because he was a fan of my films.He gave us very very special permission.I also needed and got permission from UNESCO and Prime minister so we could film inside those precious, protected monuments.All tigers and temples were real.The tigers we see at the beginning re-unite later on. We used two pairs of twins. So those who re-unite at the end are those little tigers you see at the beginning.They grew too fast.Later on I used two tiger brothers and they loved each other genuinely.But they were not as good actors as another pair.So in the movie I could change tigers but in "Wolf Totem", it’ s the same wolf all the way because he turned white and we had no double.

Talking about your latest film "Wolt Totem", you have been banned from China for movie “Seven years in Tibet”.While shooting "Wolf Totem", have you been engulfed by censorship?

I was very surprised when in 2007 got a visit from Beiging and they asked me if I was aware of the novel Wolf Totem.I told them “Hold on, do you know I am not wanted in China?”And they replied “ China has changed and we are pragmatic. We can’ t shoot films like you and we need you to make this film”.I was very worried.But when I wrote the script-no censorship, when I edited- no censorhip and when I recorded the music in London- no censorship either.Shooting itself was very hard. We started in July 2012  and finished in December 2013.There were very low temperatures in winter like minus 25 C, lots of winds.In summer there were lots of mosquitos everywhere.In many occasions we had to stop shooting cos camera was frozen. Cameramen got frostbites to their fingers and toes.So we shot during two winters cos I knew it would be too difficult to do it at one go.That scene when wolves attack the horses was filmed in very frosty winter, it was like in Siberia and it was terrible.

How important is music for you in your films?

Very important. Since some of my films have minimum dialogues, music is vital and I personally supervise recording of the music and always work with best professionals from London Philharmonic.But I was thinking about cooperating with Czech Philharmonic Orchestra when Václav Neumann was conductor.I don’ t like having music from wall to wall. Somewhere you need only flute, sometimes only trombone, sometimes only drums.I work on spotting because I want to have control over music in my films.It’s very important part.

You made films with tigers, bears, wolves, could you compare these animals from acting point of view?

I also worked with Hollywood actors you know but animals have the adventage that they don’t have agents.Working with animals is no so much different as with working with young non- actors. You have to wait for right moment.Bears and tigers are dominant animals, they don’ t fear anything.Bears are like action heroes while wolves are more cautious, more hiding, they are more into psychology. There is more soul in them.They are like French psychological actors.It is very time consuming.You have to wait hours and hours to get the right picture, right movement.So in "Wolf Totem", there are 99% of real wolves, no animation.

With actors, you can tell them: take two, take three: Would you have courage to tell a bear „ take ten“?

You know what I have learnt from master Akiro Kurosawa was that take one is the best one.Doesn‘ t matter if it‘ s Sean Connery or a bear.I care for my animals as much as I care for my actors.None of the animals in my films get hurt or killed, since I care for them and normally don‘ t kill my actors.

You have beautiful pictures of nature in your movies. What is your attitude to Mother nature?

Every year I like it more and better cos it‘ s slowly disapearing.When I return to the places where I shot years ago, I discover there factories, roads and buildings and it is very frightening.When I filmed in Mongolia, there is still beautiful nature  and when we filmed "Wolf Totem", we made sure that no 4WD  will destroy the nature and carried all heavy equipment on our back.I try to put my energy and voice into saving our nature.

When you made a movie “ Bear” you cooperated with Břetislav Pojar, didn’ t you?What led you to it?

I wanted him to make something innocent for dreaming of the bear at that time and he was the best person in the world to do it. I used to come to Prague every two weeks for two days.During my years in FIM school I had a teacher who was strong Marxist and I learnt a lot about cinema behind Iron Curtain.And I saw movies of Jiří Trnka, whose assistant was Břetislav Pojar.I showed him rough idea of my film and wanted him to put all his artistic imagination into it.At that time the animation method “stop motion” wasn’ t known and used and we can say that Trnka invented that himself.That’s why I always came to Prague with strong emotions.

When you make movie without dialogue you have to have a very strong story to keep viewers’ attention, don’ t you?

In any case you need a strong story.You have to make sure that image will tell you the story.Language of the  cinema are images and sound.Usually the dialogue and language come later and are not essential. For example you can film seduction story.Man is aroused by a woman in a caffee and he can talk nonsense. But you can do it differently.Usually you do better scene when you don’t hear what is said.Cinema is a visual art.If you pain the pictures, you also do not need subtitles, do you?

We read that you are very interested in medieval churches, what do you like at them so much?

I loved them from my childchood.My parents were strong atheists and so am I.But I love places of faith.The faith of others.I love seeing people believing in God, so I love temples.I love religious music and I don’ t believe in any of it. I like spirituality.I also like listening and talking to Buddhists because there is always a wisdowm.As a child I loved the mystery of those churches.The music from the organs, the images of whatever religion it is.Recently I have been to Hongkong and in China and I visited number of temples.You have many nice places in Prague, too. Of course I have been to Jewish cemetary and to Prague castle.This morning I have visited St.Vitus Cathedral and I liked those nice stained glass windows.Visiting the churches inspires me. ”Name of the rose” was obvious film for me to make.When I filmed “Seven years in Tibet”, I learnt the atmosphere of Buddhists teple.I appreciate that people take time to think and pray together,All original religions have something similar and that was fact they offered you message of peace.There is no religion that offers you no hope and war.It’ s hope and peace.

 This interview was realized at Febio Fest.