Hanneke Schutte is an Afrikaans girl who was born in the Kalahari. She is also one of
South Africa’s most promising scriptwriters and directors, carving a niche for herself in a
male-dominated professional environment. Schutte wrote and directed new Afrikaans
movie Jimmy in Pienk, which releases this month and earlier this year she won the
Jameson’s First Shot 2 short movie competition, established by American actor Kevin
Spacey. Her win resulted in Schutte writing and directing the film Saving Norman, and
shooting the production in Hollywood with Willem Dafoe in the starring role.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A FILMMAKER?
I stumbled onto it. It was never part of the grand plan. I was a copywriter, then a
lecturer and then I decided to do some film courses. I entered competitions and got the
chance to make my first short film, Superhero, in 2009.
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER YOU HAD A TALENT FOR SCRIPTWRITING?
I went on the very first National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) Sediba scriptwriting
course and I realised that it was the most difficult and the most exciting thing I’d ever
done. And it’s still just as difficult and as exciting.
HOW DID YOUR FORAY INTO DIRECTING COME ABOUT?
That first competition I won was run by the NFVF and the idea was to train female
writers / directors. I didn’t really want to direct, but I was given the opportunity so I
grabbed it.
WHAT AND WHOM ARE THE GREATEST INFLUENCES IN YOUR WORK?
I’m influenced by everything. Photographers, artists, memories, friends. I think Chuck
Palahniuk said: “I’m the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known’.
ARE THERE ANY FEMALE SCRIPTWRITERS / DIRECTORS WHO HAVE
SPECIFICALLY INFLUENCED YOUR WORK?
I don’t think they’ve (consciously) influenced my work, but I really admire Jane Campion,
Sofia Coppola, Andrea Arnold, Lisa Cholodenko, Agnes Varda and many more.
WHAT MESSAGE CAN YOU GIVE TO WOMEN WHO ARE INTERESTED IN
BECOMING FILM DIRECTORS?
Raise your hand. Put yourself forward. Speak up. We tend to keep quiet and avoid
rocking the boat. I wasn’t on the list of directors put forward to direct Jimmy in Pienk,
but I sat down with the powers that be and I said:’Hey, I’m over here. What about me?
I can do this.’ To be honest I wasn’t really sure that I could do it, but I had to put
myself out there and face my fears.
JIMMY IN PIENK IS YOUR FIRST FEATURE FILM. WHAT EXPECTATIONS DID
HAVE WHILE SHOOTING THE MOVIE?
I think it was Darren Aronofsky who said that with your first feature film you just want
to survive and get to the end of the shoot alive. That’s pretty much how I felt. I didn’t
have any expectations; I just wanted to get to the end of it without succumbing to
exhaustion / shame / embarrassment / frostbite / Portaloo cooties.
HOW DO WINNING THE JAMESON FIRST SHOT 2 COMPETITION AND
DIRECTING JIMMY IN PIENK COMPARE IN TERMS OF PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT?
They were both very special experiences and I learned a great deal. As a writer /
filmmaker / creator you put yourself out there and you close your eyes and hope that
someone somewhere is going to say yes. We get so used to people saying no, so when
the yes comes through you celebrate it – whether the yes comes from Kevin Spacey or
someone who’s willing to put your poem on their blog.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH KEVIN SPACEY AND WILLEM DAFOE?
They’re surprisingly down to earth, kind and wise. I don’t think you would sign up for
this sort of project if you didn’t buy into the spirit of the whole thing. They were both
enthusiastic about “sending the elevator back down’ as Kevin puts it.
WHAT KIND OF GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT DID YOU GET FROM THEM?
They were both happy to help at any point during the process. Kevin wasn’t around
much, but we could reach him via email. Willem didn’t for a second make us feel like he
wasn’t interested. He treated it as a real job and he was there to help us create a
character and ultimately a story.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT OF FILMING SAVING NORMAN?
I played ping pong with Willem between takes. That was pretty cool. The premiere was
also a highlight, especially spending the day leading up to it with Kevin Spacey. When
you’re in the room with him you realise what star power or charisma is and it’s not
something big or ostentatious, it’s in the small details.
HOW DID THE FILMING PROCESS DIFFER FROM JIMMY IN PIENK?
The surprising part is that it was so similar. We think Hollywood is this mythical place
where everything is bigger and better, but the reality is our crews are just as good as
theirs. We may have had more equipment, but the people doing the work were equally
talented.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE FIRST SHOT 2 PROCESS?
I wish I could say that I learned a new technical skill that I can pass on, but everything I
learned has been bigger life lessons. It’s scary knowing you have to direct someone who
has worked with Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Oliver Stone, Anthony Minghella, etc.
But when it comes down to it you just have to trust that you can do it.
WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER FILMMAKERS IN TERMS OF SCRIPTWRITING
AND SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT?
Learn about the craft of storytelling, and never stop learning. I’m a voracious reader. I
devour scriptwriting and psychology books and I attend as many workshops as I can.
Scriptwriting is lifelong learning. It never stops.
WHICH OTHER PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?
I’m working on an adaptation of an Afrikaans novel.
