When Jota Bayona sits down exclusively with La Vanguardia at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, there are just 30 hours left before the gala begins at the Dolby theater in the heart of Hollywood. It is no coincidence that the meeting takes place in the same hotel where countless interviews were held that he read enthusiastically in his adolescence in Barcelona, when he did not miss an issue of the defunct Imagens de Actualidad magazine. In the conversation he does not hide that he will arrive at the red carpet aware that his chances of success are very low, both in the category of best foreign language film and in that of best makeup and hair. But anyway he feels like a winner, not only because The Snow Society has been a blockbuster for Netflix, but because it has generated a real fever among young people, who have become his biggest fans.
Do you feel that everyone who said no to The Snow Society over ten years will regret it now?
It is a film that has been made even though there was no room in the market for a high-budget film in Spanish. It was made thanks to Netflix, even though there was supposedly no audience for something like that. 200 million viewers have seen it on the platform, one prejudice after another has been overturned, and here we are with not only the nomination for International Film, which is very meritorious, because it is a very difficult category, but also breaking the barrier of the category to also enter Makeup and Hairdressing, so in the end, the film has opened all those doors for us and shows that the intuition we had was not so wrong.
Do you feel your film deserved more?
You have to be grateful for what you have, not get upset about what you lack and keep fighting for what you dream of. That is the philosophy with which one should approach the world of awards, which are often very capricious and sometimes have little to do with quality or even with the film itself.
What is more difficult? Maintain a promotion for 8 months or make a movie?
Making a movie is much more difficult. Promotion is a lot of work, which is very repetitive and exhausting, but nothing like the physical and mental effort involved in making a film. And I take promotion as an important part to publicize the work you have done and attract the public, which is what finally gives meaning to all the work of so much time. But for me it is a phase like pre-production, production, post-production and promotion.
What did you learn about the awards race from this experience?
There is a very pragmatic part of realizing that it is a campaign where many elements matter that sometimes have nothing to do with quality or with the film itself. It is an important part to be able to make the film more visible because in the end what the awards give is that visibility. It is true that our film has been seen by more than 200 million people. It is an overwhelming success on the platform and in the way cinema is consumed today. In the first ten days it had already reached 100 million viewers, it was almost inconceivable. So in some way I try to enjoy it because I am a person who watches the Oscars every year and I love to enjoy the party and do my pools and enjoy that playful aspect. And at the same time you are living it inside and you see it in a much more pragmatic way. But now I'm thinking that I'll go and enjoy the ceremony, because I always really enjoy the Oscars party. And when the ceremony is over, I want to celebrate the success of the film with all the people who have come to Los Angeles, because we really have a lot to celebrate.
He is in the hotel where his idols always gave interviews. Do you feel like you're already part of Hollywood?
I feel like I've been through Hollywood, that I've come home, that I've learned a lot along the way. I also learned a lot from mistakes. They are welcome, because in the end one learns more from a mistake than sometimes from success. I have the privileged position of having one foot on each side and being able to try things here and come home whenever I feel like it.
Aren't you still amazed?
It's over, it's behind us. There is a phrase in the film that says, what seemed impossible became routine, then we stopped giving it importance. And that is a phrase that generally sums up the life we all lead. Sometimes being in contact with people like the survivors of the Andes serves to reassure you and understand that they are the obvious demonstration that we all really have only one chance in life. Precisely because they are the exception, because they had two, because they died and came back to life. When you are with them you realize that in the end you have a chance and that sometimes you have to be a little more present in the moment and enjoy things without projecting yourself into the future.
What would have happened to you if you had not gone to that film school where you met everyone who is still part of your team today?
I would have made movies for sure. I remember that in the entrance exam, which was an oral exam, I told them, film school for me is a procedure, because I am going to do this, we can do it sooner or later. I came with that arrogance to what was a test of attitude, so I already knew that in any case it would show that the attitude was correct.
Is she exactly what is needed to do well in this, or not?
I couldn't conceive of a life in which it didn't revolve around cinema, I still can't imagine it today, without life revolving around cinema. For me it is impossible to differentiate one thing from the other.
What do you like most about life in the cinema?
For me, when I shoot a film, the most difficult moment is always getting out of bed, putting my foot on the floor and thinking about the day ahead, how complicated it is. And when the end of the day comes, it seems like only ten minutes have passed. There is a feeling of being in flow when you are creating in the world of cinema and that is the feeling that I like the most, to the point that you lose track of time when you are working.
Barcelona will be with you during the ceremony...
Barcelona and all of Spain.
How do you feel that responsibility?
On the one hand, I am happy that people are proud and expectant about what is going to happen tomorrow and everyone wants us to win the prize. On the other hand, that pragmatic part sees the real possibilities we have of winning and I don't want people to feel disappointed because really what we have achieved with the film is a lot and I think there is a lot to celebrate.
He will also represent Latin America...
For me, it has been very nice in that film to expand the frontiers with respect to Latin American cinema, to know what is done in Argentina, in Uruguay, in Chile, to see the important market that exists there that has not been exploited, when there is Hollywood stars who speak perfect Spanish. It's something that gives me a lot to think about.
A few days ago there was a full-house screening of The Snow Society at the Gaumont cinema in Buenos Aires, when there are rumors that they want to close it. The actors who presented it spoke in defense of Argentine cinema and the theater itself. How do you feel that your film gives society the opportunity to reflect on this situation?
I am proud to see the actors defending Argentine cinema, culture and Gaumont cinema in particular. They were presenting the film to a very young audience who chanted their slogans and applauded what they said. It is important that we do not lose sight, I say this from many comments that I have read on networks, that culture is a fundamental weapon of empowerment. We can talk about Argentina being hungry, but it is almost as important to feed the stomach as the brain. I am at the Oscars because there was a State that decided to bet on public education. I studied at a film school that was half private and half public and I had some subsidies to be able to make my first film and now I defend myself very well. But a State had to come so that a hard-working neighborhood boy like me could access the world of cinema. At this moment, with the reforms they intend to make, if I were Argentine I would not be able to access the world of audiovisuals and I would never be a film director. I would never make it to the Oscars and my films would never have raised the money they have raised and that has gone into the state coffers. So we must understand culture as a tool for empowering the people.
Do you think there will be a before and after of The Snow Society with respect to the budget that a film spoken in Spanish can have?
There is still a long way to go, but a lot of progress has been made in recent years. The platforms have helped to overcome the fear of watching fiction in Spanish with subtitles. But the public needs to take the step of leaving home and going to see it in theaters. Let the public get used to seeing subtitles not only at home, but also in the movie theater. I believe that the moment that barrier is broken there will be a true transformation of the audiovisual market.
When you spend your days at the Four Seasons and lead this life where money doesn't have the value it did when you were a child, how do you keep your feet on the ground and not lose your humility?
Really putting value on things. This is exceptional, it is a promotion where you are in a luxury hotel, staying while promoting a movie. Then I come home and really put value on what I like. I am a person who does not have luxuries, I do not enjoy spending money on that. I spend all day buying movies and books. The day they come home to steal, I'm going to let them pass and tell them to take the book or movie they want because they won't find anything more valuable there than what I usually buy, which are movies and books.
He had the possibility of moving here, but he has stayed in his country.
Yes, because the quality of life in Spain is very good, really. Here is a place that I see more as a workplace. But I feel more surrounded by what can inspire me in Europe, in Barcelona, than in Los Angeles, which is a place where I have a lot of friends and where I love to come, but always for work reasons.
Yesterday he said that he has been working non-stop for seven years and that at this moment he has nothing on his mind. How long do you think that space will last?
It won't last long because your head immediately goes into overdrive and you start thinking about other things, but I do believe that there is a moment when you have to stop and let the brain do nothing in order to reset itself. Obviously you feel the constant pressure from the people around you who want you to commit to another project, but I really have four very big projects in a row in a very short time. A film like The Snow Society was already quite complicated. If you add to that having built a series from scratch like The Lord of the Rings in just nine months, which is what we had, without having a single set and a single casting member hired when I started production, and That adds A Monster Comes to See Me and Jurassic World in seven years, because what I need now is to rest.
