Your father made his first film two years before you were born. Was filming part of your childhood, did father take you onto set or he didn´t mix family and business together and never talked about film at home?

In my family, it´s impossible not to mix business and family. Father was also great photographer and developed them at home and he also watched lots of movies.First time I was taken to the set was when I was 4 years old.It was shooting of the film” The Hunt”(La Caza) which won Golden Bear at Berlin film festival.The film was about four friends who went hunting and there were lots of rabbits around me and lots of hunting and it was really hot summer so I hated it. My father didn´t have time for me so he only said “ hello” and then many strange and unknown people came to say “ Hello” to me.So that was my first experience with the film set.

Father wasdirector, uncle was a painter, mother was film teacher and journalist.Did youhave a free choice of what you wanna do or you could not NOT to be in filmbusiness with your background?

I did have a choice.I started very late in film business.I wrote my first screenplay for TV when I was 19 and then I wanted to be a collaborator journalist.I did that until the age of 26 when I realized there is more money to be made by writing screenplays for TV than articles for magazines.Then I decided I wanted to go and study in USA so I was there for two years and when I came back I was running a training programme for European Union.So I started producing films when I was 40.Life begins at 50, 40 was good, 30 was tough and 20 was shit.

Surname Saura could be opening few doors for you.Was it a case or people used to compare you with your father so you rather chose producing andnot directing to avoid that situation?

This question has very long answer.Name opened the doors, that is truth but it can open very different type of doors.It can open doors for stupidity, for criticism, for envy and it can also open door for friendship and admiration.It was great name to have and relate it to my life.At the age of 30 I started travelling a lot and saw how much respect my father had around the world.It was then when I learnt positive side of my surname.Until then I was figting against the name as I had same name as my uncle.When I wrote my first article and send it to magazine and they printed it I called them and asked where is the check and they told me they already sent it…..to my uncle.I wanted to use my middle name to avoid confussion but it was too long so I though about changing my surname.Up until now directing didn´t interest me.You know, I don´t see I am a man of words not of images.My father is a man of images.I always liked writing and I went from writing to producing cos I wanted to be in charge of everything.When you write, you have to wait for everything. I realitzed I am very good at producing so I became my own boss, more or less.

If we are right, you produced one film “Salome” of your father.What ws it like to work with your father on business level, were you equl partners or he was a boss?

I produced three movies of my father.It was great to produce for your father because you could tell him NO(laugh).As a boy you couldn´t have any objections but as a producer you were on different level and you could refuse him.He came to me and said” I want three cameras here” and I could tell him NO.But we always had very good relationship and very good understanding and respect for each other.He could come to me and say” Hey, Antonio, I know how to make a good movie” and I could reply ” Yes, I know but I am risking my money so lets talk about it”.

What makes you decide which film are you gonna produce?Must it be a strong story with either social, ethical or moral issue to get some artistic value or if it´s alove story with happy end you would still go for that as long as you don´t loose money?

The cynical answer is “ the last point” you have mentioned.But the reality is the combination of all you mentioned.I always want to do a film I am proud of.It doesn´t have to be ethical or have any deep message, it can just be a film about things I have passion for.Like here on FebioFest I am with my documentary about cooking which I wrote and produced.It has little bit of ethic in it,if you look at it, it shows some culture but in the end it describes the world I am fascinated with and that is world of cooking,Other films I do because they are produceable and people will go to weatch them and you can make money on them. The films I am most proud of comes from my love for the story.

Then you found program Greenhouse.Could you put some light onto it,what was it all about?

I participated in this programme that was presented to me by David Fisher a documentarist from Izrael and he was also running the Izrael Film Fund.He created this programme for documentaries.I must admit that firstly I wasn´t very fond of that because when I see what is happening in various parts of the world, people are telling other peoples stories but they are not told by those people.So I was very curious what is the story of these people, how they feel, how they see themselves and the results are fascinating.So I became a partner of this programme.I also established another programme in that area called MEDEA( Mediterenian Development Agency) cos I always was very happy helping people developing the tools for other people so they could do what they wanna do.Some good work came out of that and I am very proud of it.

Your next project is Latido Films.Do you help to sell worldwide only Spanish films or it is normal distribution company?Could you reveal some figures, how many films do you buy/ per year, what is your annual turn over etc?

It is an international sales company. I used to own it with my previous company but sold my stakes and now they hire me.We sell films worldwide and mostly sale South American movies and now we also sell movies from East Europe like Bulgaria, Croatia and even Czech Republic and are interested in selling project from Eastern contries. Turnover is about 3 million euros per year.

On top of that you are executive in two film companies Lola Films and Iberoamericana Film and executive producer of Zebra Producciones and La Pierra Corrupia.What is the point of being involved in so many companies at one go, doesn´t it harm their effectivness?

No, I didn´t run them at the same time.I established them, produced some films and sold them and established new ones. You know, some of my partners wanted to do just TV so I could choose easy part and stay with them. But I chose the more difficult one and when I saw that they produce TV programmes I left them and created something new, which I would be proud of.I hate TV programmes which are popular when e.g. group of teenagers are kicking each other and make noise and who is heard the most is the best. Or three guys compete who gets more kisses on the beach and that kind of shit which are very successful and popular. I hate that.I like documentaries and sci fi and I don´t like programmes that provoke people and they are forced to watch things they don´t like.

Who do you teach at film schools?Do you see there any new Godard, Forman or Passer or everybody wants to be Spielberg or Tarantino? Do you see some deep interest in artistic films or the are more focused on commercial trash?

I hope no more Godards, please, no. I admire him of course but I think one is enough.One Tarantino is also enough. I hope people will do they own more, the won´t follow names. It depends of the country you are from.If you go to South America, new trend of their cinematiography is very slow or no camera movement, things that just happen.In Spain I see more American influence.

Is it good or bad?

Provided that they can develop their voice.In the end you have to recognise the directors voice.If you don´t recognise it, it doesn´t matter which style is it.We have many new directors in Spain and they have opposite point of view, they have different style and they are therefore recognised.

You have 1 brother, 4 step brothers, 1 sister, 2 step mothers and Geraldine Chaplin.Do you ever see all of them together or there are no real family ties?

We have strong family ties.All brothers see each other often apart from Geraldine´s son who livers in USA and is psychologist on Virginia University, so it´s hard for him to fly back to Spain for party.When my father has birthday he invites everybody apart from his ex wifes.Geraldine was great step mother,I produced a film for her which won awards in Spain so that kind of nicely closed the family circle.

World is in big mess now, more violence and religious conflicts, Islam State problems.Do you still see that films has the power to bring general peace among people or it lost it´s momentum?

I believe that fiction has great power of manipulation.It can be used well or it can be used badly.I think films as propaganda can now be very much in fashion again.I include American films and some kind of Nationalistic movies and I see films full of hate.But I also see films that can very well tell the storiese and bring people together.I love sci.-fi and comics but when I see film with destruction of cities and killing becomes a natural thing, ultraviolence becomes very enjoable, I am worried.I think we are twisting things that are important.Brest feeding is banned on facebook but you can freely see trailers showing hundreds of people being destroyed.That is fiction so that is fine.Breast feeding is natural, WOW, that is horrible. I am worried about use of images and what we can do with them. I am sure we will see propaganda and anti propaganda films in the future and films will continue insult people. It is totally hypocratic that American TV can´t show naked woman but you can easily watch porno or splatter movies on internet.I think we will have to define our morals with relation to our freedom, it will be new challenge for our culture. And there will be fights for that in near future.

Is position of Spanish film in the world bigger and better than say 20 years ago or worse?

When we had dictatorship, people were curious to see what people like my father can do inside dictatorship.Now, we are in opposite situation we are in democracy which works and our films are very very successful at home and go for film festivals, so I believe Spanish films have strong position.

How do you view the future of independent film and independent scene?Will it grow and overgrow the mainstream or it will always be in kind of underground?

In current state of technology there is always a tendency for concentration of money in the groups. When that happen we will be afraid that it may mean that independent film may dissapear.But reality is that the bigger the group is the more chance to find a crack in the systemyou have.We look at the new companies that didn´t exist 20 years ago, like facebook or Netfix.What worries me is a big data, that they know everything about us, what we buy, what we eat and wants to privide us with things that satisfy you in this.Many people buy this so they will only produce things that satisfy majority of people and stop producing things that can and will provoke people, tell them to be different.This worrie sme very much and obviously this is the future and we only have to make future better not let it sweap us like tsunami which is coming.I am afraid that those big companies will only sell us things that sell and won´t gamble on things that won´t sell and I think we will have to protect the difference.