"The Crime of Father Amaro" is Mexican director Carlos Carrera's fifth movie, but the first to gain UK distribution, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Who'd have thought a story about the passionate affair between a photogenic Catholic priest (Gael Garc铆a Bernal) and a stunning teenage girl (Ana Claudia Talanc贸n) would provoke international interest...
What made you choose such a controversial subject, and was it difficult to raise money for it?
It was based on a 19th century Portuguese novel. I was intrigued about these strange characters - the priests - and wanted to learn more about them, and the way they used other people's faith to get more money or power for their own purposes.
It took several years to raise the money, partly because of the controversial nature of the material. The Catholic Church is very powerful in Mexico. One conservative group wanted the film to be banned, and started an internet campaign against it. Another group, The Soldiers of Christ, even threatened to bomb cinemas where the film was playing.
What about the casting? You've gone for Mexico's man of the moment, "Y Tu Mam谩 Tambi茅n" star Gael Garc铆a Bernal...
When Gael first read the script, he wasn't a big star. In real life, he's more like the guy in "Y Tu Mam谩 Tambi茅n, but I trusted him to do the priest well, and he did a great job. Many of the small characters were real people, not actors. I don't care where the actors come from, as long as they're right for the part. I don't care whether they're from TV, the theatre, or the street. Generally, though, I find actors difficult to work with, which is why I also like doing animation.
Your music is very carefully chosen...
I don't like music to be an illustration of emotions, telling people how to feel. I prefer to leave the emotions to the situations. I wanted to use the sound of the earth and the sound of heaven, to give the idea that God was watching the little people below.
Do you think your Oscar nomination will help you and your fellow Mexican filmmakers?
We hope that it'll get the Mexican government to give us more money to make films. This is a very good time, but we're only making about ten or 12 films a year - because there's not enough support from the government. After "Amores Perros" was nominated, two years ago, there were promises, but nothing happened.
What influences you as a director?
I try not to see too many movies. I don't like references. I like to create by intuition. I prefer to take examples from reality. I'll take actors to a village to see how real people move and speak.
