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Meet the Filmmakers: Thomas Lien--'Hunting Down Memory'

By Tom White


Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work will be represented in the DocuWeeksTM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, July 31-August 20 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far.

So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Thomas Lien, director/writer of Hunting Down Memory..

Synopsis: Hunting Down Memory is a true story about Øyvind Aamodt, who suddenly loses 27 years of his memory. For most people, this would be a dreadful experience, an ominous and frightening event in their life. For Øyvind, it is an adventure. He is neither traumatized nor paralyzed; he is just curious. At the age of 27, he has to start learning how the world functions. He experiences the world with the consciousness of a child, is confronted with various prejudices, and must build a new identity.

IDA: How did you get started in documentary filmmaking?

Thomas Lien: I started out working on fiction in Norway, on other director's motion pictures and my own shorts. Then I decided to go circumnavigation with my sailboat for six years. A part of my income during those years was payment for a series of documentaries I made during my travels. At the same time I discovered new amazing stories. Hunting Down Memory is one of them. Now I love making docs even more than fiction. 

 IDA: What inspired you to make Hunting Down Memory?  

TL: In a sense, it might be all the fiction, film and books that have been written on the subject "amnesia." The topic has interested me for years. And then this real life story came right into my arms. I just had to make this documentary.

IDA: What were some of the challenges and obstacles in making this film, and how did you overcome them? 

TL: First of course, getting the money was a great obstacle, and we did not get it all at once. The financing of the film was a continuous challenge for the producer, and of course a bit nerve-wracking for us all. It took about two years.

And making the film on a tiny budget was a great challenge, and we all used fantasy and imagination to make it work.

There were so many possible ways to go. I wanted to tell a story that happened some years ago, without reconstructing the action. I think I succeeded by using the camera as Wind's eyes, seeing the world as Wind might have done.

All the shooting in China, of course, was a challenge. The main character Wind, the DP and I traveled around for two months, crossing most of China with all the gear for shooting and storing the material on disks and sending them back to Norway for safety and back-up. It was an amazing adventure I loved to be a part of. And since we never asked for permission to shoot, we never got into problems with the Chinese authorities. 

IDA: How did your vision for the film change over the course of the pre-production, production and post-production processes?

TL: Actually, it did not change as much as I would have guessed before I started shooting. When I read the first synopsis again now, it is not far from the finished film. 

IDA:  As you've screened Hunting Down Memory--whether on the festival circuit, or in screening rooms, or in living rooms--how have audiences reacted to the film? What has been most surprising or unexpected about their reactions?

TL: It has been great screening the film, both in Norway and abroad. Some say it is the most amazing documentary they have seen. A few have thought it is just a hoax, some want it to be more scientific, some less. Not possible to please all, but overall it has been an amazing response.

IDA:  What docs or docmakers have served as inspirations for you?

TL: I love docs, and am inspired by many. But some special ones are The Story of the Weeping Camel and Powaqqatsi ,by Godfrey Reggio. Two amazing films.

Hunting Down Memory will be screening at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinema in Los Angeles and the IFC Center in New York City.

To download the DocuWeeksTM program in Los Angeles, click here.

To purchase tickets for DocuWeeksTM in Los Angeles, click here.

To download the DocuWeeksTM program in New York, click here.

To purchase tickets for DocuWeeksTM in New York, click here.