Strong Voices and Challenging Aesthetics: Natasja Marie Fourie on the Power of a Good Film

Natasja Fourie > These days, my focus is more centred around screenwriting and directing. I find the writing period very therapeutic whilst the physicality and challenges of the production really excite me. I love working with a team that shares my creative vision. The collaborative process is really enriching and rewarding in itself.  I don’t really see myself as a moving image artist as my film work centres around narrative projects and stories. I do, however, very much enjoy photography - perhaps the escapism element of it.  I don’t think I would ever be tied to one medium – I’m way too adventurous for that. 

NF > My background definitely gave me an introduction to the visual world of commerce but cinema and advertising are two very different worlds. Both mediums, however, rely on a strong vision and visual message. Where advertising is more focused on trying to persuade an audience,  a good film has the power to inform, educate, and make the audience question the world. 

NF > I think one’s creative path has to do with people you encounter on the way, people who inspire you and who help shape and drive you forward. I certainly owe a lot to Janette De Villiers, my producer at Groundglass, who really believed in my potential as a young director. When I first met her I only had a few photographs and music videos to show her, but she saw something that she could work with and immediately made plans to kick-start my career. 

The Man with the Heavy Leg was shot on location in Cape Town in collaboration with Groundglass and the South African NFVF. It’s a short film that explores themes dealing with guilt and consequence and the interplay of dynamics in a country where compassion is an expensive commodity. Janette, the Executive Producer of the film, really believed in my vision and the relevance of the story. The film premiered at the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2015 and we have secured international distribution with Shorts International HD. Janette and I hope to continue working together on relevant projects. 

I would also like to mention Kate Verity Wilson, my producer and mentor in London. We are currently working on an exciting short film: 13. The film is based on the short story, Dertien, by acclaimed South African writer, André P. Brink. The story is about an immigrant factory worker in London who falls further and further into a cycle of psychological trauma as he struggles to make any kind of connection with the world at large.

NF > I have always been attracted to people with strong voices and supreme talent. There are many artists I look up to who have inspired me. For instance, Paul Thomas Anderson dropped out of film school, learnt the craft by watching films by the filmmakers he liked, and then went off to do things his own way. He is one of the supreme talents in filmmaking today. Charlie Kaufmann, with his creativity and originality, is a true inspiration for me as a young screenwriter. It was fascinating to watch Jonathan Glazer’s transition from revolutionary music videos and commercials to narrative feature films. 

NF > Short filmmakers still need production funding and resources more than anything else. It was amazing to learn that ScreenCraft and Bondit have awarded 13 a $25,000 production grant. It’s a real endorsement of this project and has certainly propelled the production process forward. Now we have the support of a LA production company behind us who will actively develop the project. The award has opened many doors. I’ve had calls from Literary Agents in Hollywood, and Buffalo 8 are interested in developing the short into a feature film.

NF > Filmmaking requires endurance and has many ups and downs along the way. It’s vital to develop your own voice and aesthetic and to believe in your own projects even when no one else seems to care. It is a big commitment and a huge investment of one’s time. You have to believe in your dream and then push through from start to finish without getting discouraged. 

NF > I am definitely intrigued by marginalized groups and the so-called underdog, issues that cannot easily be ignored coming from a place like South Africa. 

NF > Janette and I hope to work on a short film inspired by the work of MS Burger, an activist for gay and lesbian rights in the nineties. She has put together a fascinating bundle of short stories that explore themes surrounding gender, immediate family, sexuality, and violence. 

NF > I see my work as a celebration of the female form rather than an objectification of it. 

NF > I like to challenge our culture’s puritanical fear of anything that fits outside traditional notions of beauty. I want to move, question, and disrupt assumptions without being judgmental. 

NF > I like spending time outdoors. Green space is vital to my health and mental state. I enjoy creating work in these environments. I grew up in the countryside so spending time in nature is engrained in my DNA.

NF > I’d like to think that I get booked for jobs based on my voice and aesthetic. Of course, I try to insert as much of myself as possible into each project.

NF > South Africa has a gold mine of unexplored stories and talent but unfortunately funding and resources are still a problem for filmmakers regardless of gender. Not many people can afford to go to film school; I certainly couldn’t. Film funding is very limited and it can take years to get projects financed in South Africa. 

In England, we have access to many different funding schemes and initiatives for filmmakers and, increasingly, ones that are specifically for female filmmakers. However, the market is quite saturated so the grants are only given to a few. 

NF > I would like to work on projects that are creative and stimulating but that also challenge our perceptions of the world we live in.