Martin I. Petrov

Acclaimed British director Peter Webber held a directing masterclass yesterday afternoon as part of this year’s FEST Training Ground that gathers film professionals from around the globe to share their experience and interact with the audience and the young professionals attending the festival. 

Webber intrigued the audiences interest with stories from his career as filmmaker so far, after entering the film industry in 1992 with the short film The Zebra Man. His debut feature Girl with a pearl earring starring Scarlet Johansson in the role that made her noticeable to Hollywood received three Oscar nominations. 

After directing several other titles including Hannibal Rising and Emperor, Webber is currently preparing to shoot a post-apocalyptic film and presented as part of FEST the World Premiere of his new documentary Ten Billion, a lecture by scientist Stephen Emmott (Professor and Head of Computational Science at Microsoft Research in Cambridge) and based on his book concerning climate change and his views on the drastic measures that need to be taken to save life on the planet. Although the documentary is mainly based on logistics and well known numbers, mainly the way it is presented creates a strong visual impact that divides the audience, or even seeds fright and discomfort. 

The British director spoke thoroughly about his actors, his collaborations with crew members and scriptwriters and pointed out that he prefers to have the freedom of choice and although some of the choices he’s made did not bring his career to peak moments, he is still hopeful. “The role of the director is hard to define, and there are many of them out there not knowing what exactly their mission is. I think the director needs to keep the balance and simultaneously know a bit of everything. If the film is good, he gets all the prizes, if the film is bad, he is always the one to blame - no one’s gonna chase the scriptwriter or the editor.” 

Webber mentioned that working with stars has its benefits, mainly financial, but it definitely narrows down the director’s accessibility and influence. 

In regards to the film scene in the UK, where he lives and works, the country seems to have been keeping a stable position somewhere between European cinema and the US multibillion film industry. 

*The masterclass was hosted by www.filmfestivals.com associate Martin I. Petrov.