FOLLOWING HARRY at the Santa Barbara Film Festival - Interview with the director Susanne Rostock

Interview With director: Susanne Rostock by Emmanuel Itier

When you think you knew everything about Harry Belafonte, here comes Susanne Rostock new documentary on the man who was such a genius, a musical maverick and an activist. This film follows Harry in his last act of life, but what a final Act! Susanne had done another film with Belafonte before, and you can feel the warm energy between her camera and the iconic man he is. As a documentary filmmaker myself I am quite impressed by the smooth balance Susanne was able to implement in this film between entertainment and messages. Yes, this is a “call for action” film but it is also a guilty pleasure to look at and listen to a man who has had such an impact in all our lives. I know Harry is watching us and he is hoping we keep leading the fight for Freedom of speech, for racial justice, for women’s rights. Merci Monsieur Belafonte for the inspiration. Thank you, Susanne, for this very emotional ride.

Harry Belafonte: what a voice!

Q: How did this film come together? How different is this film compared to others about Harry?

Susanne: I had done another documentary about Harry (Sing your song - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787797  ) in 2011. Harry had approached me to make that film. That film goes from his birth until 2008. It deals with his life as an artist and an activist. As he says, “I was an activist first”. At the time there was lots of activism actions and at the end of the film it says: “what do you do now?”. At the time I had a young daughter in high school and like many she was willing to move forward and make a difference in the world. At the time Harry invited me to move in his new large office space where I could set up my editing room and be close to him. It was impressive, and we had become friends and so this was amazing. Harry was 84 years old at that time and it was amazing to be in this space with famous people coming and visiting him like Bruce Springsteen. We would gather and get the wisdom from Harry; how can we make the World better. And then, Trayvon Martin was murdered. And Harry decided again to get engage in what was going in America. How to wake up people and give them some guidance. Even so I was working on some other films of mine, I thought it had to be documented and so I started filming again Harry in his journey. It was important to me to show how a   movement is created. How do you respond to Humanitarian disaster but also how do you respond to aging, how do you respond looking back at your life and reflecting after having worked so hard to change the World? After the death of Doctor King, I never thought we would end up here! I miss Harry terribly and I think I would break his heart to see what’s going on in America.

Q: Talking about his wisdom, what would you keep from his guidance and wisdom?

Susanne: There is so much I learned from him that it is hard to isolate one or two things. But the main thing I learned is that “community” is essential. It’s essential to open your heart and to keep conversations going and to be accessible. Harry would always embrace and hear everyone. He was never judgmental or condemning. We must recognize each other talent humanity. It’ the only way we can come together and have world Peace. We need to meet people where they are. Not to say I should invite Elon Musk to dinner!  But we need to understand where some people come from. And make them understand the impact and consequences of their actions. You must pay attention and not be afraid to stand up. At the detriment of his career, Harry always spoke out. Even so he lost a lot he never lost the ability at looking at himself in front of a mirror! Every generation is responsible for themselves. Harry left a big legacy of responsibilities and it’s up to us to carry on and be accountable for our actions and do the right thing. You need to learn your history and learn from the past to understand your present and build a better future. I spent 50 years making documentaries about human rights situations. And to look at the intersection between art and activism. I had to use lots of archival footage and not enough was documented. Especially when it came to women activism. Learn from the mistakes we made, learn from History.

Q: What are your hopes with this Doc, what type of conversations would you like to trigger? And being at the Santa Barbara film festival, what does it mean to you?

Susanne: First, it’s wonderful this film festival is International. It’s for a global community. It’s a great mix of film features and docs. You can change your entire perspective on life by watching some of these movies. Reading is equally important. A film gives you a life experience. It’s a great backdrop to really engage and I’m honored to be here. I hope it will trigger conversations and a sense of coming together. Then we will have screenings across the country in schools, prisons and other film festival. I hope it has an impact on people. The line from Angela Davis that resonates in my head is crucial: “Vote now and we will have a revolution after”. It’s a call for action and now, more than eve, we are going to need actions if we want to make it.