Spotlight is a series highlighting talented artists and designers in brief interviews and displays of their work. In this article we look at the work of Joshua Faudem [ www.joshuafaudem.com ], currently residing in Tel Aviv, Israel. Joshua is an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for his edgy, provocative films as well as his risky shots in dangerous places. Here’s what he had to say-

Zeitgeist Studios: You often enter dangerous or hostile territory when working on documentaries. What compels you to do it? Do you feel that getting the story is worth risking your life?

Joshua Faudem: I really don’t think about if it’s dangerous or not. If I feel that the story is strong and needs to be told, I kind of tend to forget where I’m going. This could all change if I get married and have kids, but for now, at the end of the day it’s just me. For example, when I did about Russian immigrants, I had to go into the Gaza strip with them. Since there was no insurance for the crew, they couldn’t come, but it I didn’t stop me from going. I went on my own, and the footage I shot became a big part of the film. At the time, I knew I could have been kidnapped, shot at, or caught in a suicide bombing, but I went anyway. I do think about it, but I don’t let it take control. But it has nothing to do with being fearless. I like to think of myself as a cautious person. If somebody I trust says not to go somewhere, then I won’t go there.

ZS: Blues by the Beach, your documentary about a suicide bombing in a nightclub in Tel Aviv, won many awards, including the Hamptons International Film Festival, the 23rd Avignon Film Festival, and the Newport Beach International Film Festival, among many others.   What do you think brought Blues by the Beach to an international level?

JF: What brought it to an international level is the fact that it’s dealing with international terrorism in a simple, down-to-earth story. Blues by the Beach is a love story set in a bar, so it’s easy for people to identify with it. The film also breaks old stigmas. For example, when people realize there’s a blues bar in Tel Aviv where everyone drinks Guinness, it breaks down preconceptions about Israel.

ZS: What do you find challenging about filmmaking?

JF: My challenges are the same always: the challenge of getting a project up and running and getting funding for it. I have five to six starts ups at one time, hoping one of them will catch. It ain’t the 9 to 5. It’s hard. Sometimes I say to myself, “Is this really what you wanted?”

Continue reading the full interview here: (Read More)

ZS: When you pick up the camera, whose story are you most compelled to tell? Can you remove your own subjectivity?

JF: Yes, I can remove my subjectivity. When I’m filming, the people in front of the camera; I’m theirs. I’m completely dedicated to telling their story in the most honest way I can. I’m completely devoted to my subject. Filmmakers who are obsessed with themselves are a turn off for me. I had to be in front of the camera once, in Blues by the Beach, and I hope never to be again.

ZS: What is your current direction for your filmmaking?  

JF: I feel I’m ready to get into fiction now, and doing other things besides documentary, including production. I know what I’m good at; it’s bringing people together. I told the producer that I wrote my new script with that I don’t want to direct this project. Sometimes you need to know where your place is.

ZS: If you had to give one piece of advice to aspiring filmmakers, what would it be?

JF: Always stay true to the story. Don’t distort the truth.