Uwe Boll, the worst residing director, embraces his legacy: “A filmmaker wants his films to last. And mine are still being shown 20 years later” | Cinema: premieres and critiques | EUROtoday

At 60 years outdated, Uwe Boll (Wermelskirchen, Germany) is absolutely conscious that his title is commonly accompanied by an outline: “the worst director alive.” Over time he has realized to embrace that title and discover his viewers: “At first it is difficult for all the criticism to put you on edge. But then you are left with the positive. Suddenly, decades later, my films are among the most viewed on platforms,” ​​he says in English together with his robust German accent throughout his go to to the CutreCon in Madrid, the place he absolutely embraces cinema. trashwith jokes from the viewers throughout screenings of his work, and never taking it too critically.

“There are many films sold with enthusiasm by the press and festivals, that no one sees anymore. There are many Cannes winners that we have never heard about again. And I have films that 20 years later are still shown in theaters. I wouldn’t call them garbage, they are simply fun, and that’s why they survive. In the end, what a filmmaker wants is for his films to last,” this triple Razzie winner (the anti-Oscar) defends to EL PAÍS this Friday, even with an honorary award for worst race: “If you ask me about my 10 favorite movies, I always make two lists. One, the ones I want to see over and over again, like Sharkwhich I can see a hundred times. And another with things like breaking the waveswhich I know are masterpieces, but I never want to see again. I am aware that films like House of the Dead They are riddled with glitches, but they are fun to watch.”

With 40 films under his belt, Boll has a long history as a director and producer. In the list of 50 worst rated movies for IMDb users, it has three mentions: the zombie film House of the Dead (2003), one of his first works, is eighth from bottom with a score of 2.1 out of 10; Alone in the Darkbased on another video game and with 1% positive reviews in Rottentomatoesoccupies thirteenth position, and Bloodrayne settles for a three. Now, with his films converted into tacky cult works, he wants to reunite the entire cast of the first 23 years later, through crowdfunding.

This self-made character, who confronted his critics in boxing matches (together with in opposition to the director of CutreCon, Carlos Palencia, in 2006), turned a pioneer of online game variations, so frequent as we speak in Hollywood: “The New York Times I hated them because they were dumb entertainment, and I had a target on my chest with all the fans. My movies would be the worst, but at least they cost 10 million dollars. Then they made them just as bad for 140″.

Because of this rejection, Boll, who spends more time producing than directing, learned to finance his projects independently. First with aid from German funds – to receive it I had to produce them at full speed – and today with three strategies: “I convince companies to co-produce me. Then, my 40 films continue to make money (House of the Dead amounted to 250,000 euros last year), and I don’t spend on ferraris. And I also travel to countries with tax incentives like Croatia, which help me limit everything to much less than 10 million.” In his incessant production chain, in 2011 Boll managed to shoot three films at the same time, to receive all the aid, for 16 days on a set in Croatia: a historical one about Auschwitz, the third installment of the video games Bloodrayne and an action parody with Nazis.

In Postalanother crazy comedy about the United States, took the main character from the eponymous video game to build one of its most “personal” works, a parody that included Bin Laden and Bush amongst its protagonists. He peppered it with fart jokes, laughter about capitalism, faith, police and racial violence, the usage of weapons within the United States and even a mountain of useless youngsters. “Today it could not be filmed. It would offend left and proper,” he acknowledges. He also points out that 20 years later the viewer would not accept things like the abundance of gratuitous and unjustified female nudity in his films. “These are ridiculous issues, however freedom will not be having that concern and breaking boundaries. If a part of your viewers is uncomfortable and the opposite half loves it, that is what makes motion pictures attention-grabbing. However, as we speak we’re management freaks, all the pieces scares us,” he says in a speech against political correctness.

Boll, fearful of the merger of Warner and Netflix, says that everything is getting worse in the cinema: “Now all the studios are afraid and measure what they can sell to the streaming”, to which he attributes the loss of personality in the directors: “The author is no longer known, only that he is from Netflix. And festivals also fall into this publicity bribery. My films were never advertised and still they find their audience.”

He is especially critical of people like the Russo brothers, about to release two more blockbusters by Avengers: “They should not good, though they offer all of them the cash on the planet and it makes them worse. There are additionally administrators who already make horrible movies that nobody wants, however they’re forgiven. Scorsese, Ridley Scott with Napoleon and Oliver Stone, who did essentially the most dangerous issues World Trade Center o Alexanderand he by no means did something good once more.” His rant about the industry, which in 2016 made him temporarily retire due to all the hypocrisy it entailed, does not stop there: “Ben Affleck has dinner with Ted Sarandos, head of Netflix, and he has 80 million to movie no matter he needs. It’s unfair to the producer’s job. Since they’re well-known, they make eyes at them. Or all the pieces turns into political, like all of the tens of millions of Melania to shoot that rubbish documentary. Trump has everybody beneath management: Apple, Zuckerberg… It’s a shame. And I haven’t got dinners with anybody, so nothing.” His biggest budget was achieved with in the name of the kinganother $60 million (about €50 million) video game adaptation with Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds and Ray Liotta.

Boll is very critical of Hollywood cinema, which he blames for the state of the world: “Marvel teaches that violence is constructive. For me it’s all the time darkish. I assist the mandate to limit social networks on the age of 16 in Spain, as a result of folks normalize violence from a really younger age,” he explains.

The director has wild opinions left and right, as messy as the editing of his gilmes. Regarding the left, he says that he does not understand that “a trans or a lesbian” is included in every police series. Although it is against the right that he has to shoot the most: “I’ll by no means be in favor of homicide, like these of the ICE brokers, nor of violence. You can’t shoot folks. It is fascism, a dictatorship. And if a migrant works and pays taxes, they will keep. It is the system that radicalizes them and turns them into criminals, as a result of they don’t get papers,” says this director.

Although in 2016 he opened a restaurant in Vancouver to try other things, as he told in the documentary. What everyonenow he wants to keep rolling. In fact, he has filmed Citizen Vigilantewhich marks the return to the screen of Armie Hammer, star of Call Me By Your Name disowned for some private messages that even appealed to cannibalism. For Boll, the actions of his protagonist must be differentiated from those of producer Harvey Weinstein or those of Brett Ratner, director of Melania, protected by Trump and “justifiably canceled” after being denounced for several violations.

In the end, when it comes to what’s important, Boll is delighted because he has found his audience: “They are like social gathering movies. This is what festivals must aspire to, to be nearer and supply experiences. There is an viewers right here, and the platforms ought to comprehend it.” And he already sells himself as “the worst director in history,” as a result of that retains him rolling.