At first glance, Punch Me In The Stomach, a comic play touching on the Holocaust, in which the same person plays 36 parts, doesn't seem the stuff of cinema. Nevertheless, Canadian filmmaker Francine Zuckerman was never in any doubt that it could be adapted for film.
'I first saw Deb Filler's story when she was performing in Toronto a couple of years ago,' she recalls. Zuckerman was immediately captivated by the 'universality' of the stories that Filler told.
'I was very interested in making fun of Nazis,' says New Zealand comedienne Filler, when asked about the inspiration behind her one-woman show. 'What the history of the Jewish people has given me personally is an inclination for storytelling,' she goes on before listing her many influences, which range from Hogan's Heroes to the Dick Van Dyke show.
Zuckerman and Filler insist that their collaboration was an easy one, untainted by the clash of egos. 'I'm very easy to get on with,' jokes Zuckerman, 'everyone is entitled to my opinion.' However, making New Zealand/Canadian co-productions on shoestring budgets is a hazardous business. Not only are the two countries thousands of miles apart - they both use different video systems. 'I was really committed to making it on film,' explains Zuckerman, 'but we were also contracted to do a TV version.' The filmmakers worked in both countries, but were aghast when their final print was out of sync. They finished the film in January, but it took them until last week to sort out all their technical problems.
Both women profess themselves delighted with the reception that Punch Me In The Stomach received at its London world premiere on Saturday. Documentary-maker Zuckerman, whose mother is British, launched her first film at the LFF back in 1989 and claims to love the festival. The feeling, it seems, is mutual. Realising that it was her birthday last Sunday, the festival organisers arranged flowers and a cake.
Both will be back in London in June for the screening of Punch Me In The Stomach at the London Jewish Film Festival. Geoffrey Macnab
[Home ] [Content ] [The Sponsors ] [The Team ] [Comments ] [Help ]
