'Night Watch' news

Director Timur Bekmambetov discusses parts one, two and three of the epic Russian franchise.

Apr 18 2006

To celebrate the release of sci-fi horror epic 'Night Watch' on DVD next week, we caught up with director Timur Bekmambetov to discuss the making of the film and the future of the franchise.

What were you doing before 'Night Watch' came about?

In the 1980s, after graduation, I worked in Tashkent as a set designer for cinema and theater. In 1992 I co-wrote and co-directed the feature 'Peshawar Waltz' about the Afghanistan war. Throughout the '90s I was making commercials and music videos. In 2001 I remade the 30-year-old movie 'Arena' for Roger Corman, which was about women-gladiators. Last year I finished the sequel to 'Night Watch' – 'Day Watch' and now I'm in the early stages of other projects. And my very first film I made at the age of ten, while at summer camp. It was an 8mm horror flick about children-ghosts.

How did you become involved with the project?

It was a proposal of Channel One, a progressive Russian TV company. Producers Konstantin Ernst and Anatoly Maximov gave me the opportunity to be involved with the project. I liked the way [author] Sergei Lukyanenko's fantasy world tries to account for everyday things and situations familiar to us, things we can't explain. In this manner it deals with superstitions etc. Recently I find myself increasingly interested in documentary films and specialized literature, and less in fiction. I like learning something about the world every day – something new and useless. These days made-up stories are secondary material, recycled stuff. I want something fresh and untamed.

What appealed to you about the story?

All characters, conflict details and mythology are based on contemporary Russian reality. The story is set in modern–day Moscow. Russian audiences are hungry for movies with familiar contexts and characters. People got tired of seeing movies filmed in New York, which seemed exotic and which presented no context for their daily lives.

The film looks like a $150 million production but I'm sure it cost a lot less – how did you make it look so impressive?

Roger Corman gave me a sense of what filmmaking is. His secret of how to be creative is to imitate the budgets of bigger films – to get the maximum value from acting, style and story.

Were you surprised at the film's success outside Russia?

I wanted the success, and was looking forward to it. But when you eagerly wait for something to happen, it's like gambling with fate. People generally aren't particularly lucky, and our dreams don't really come true. So I kept optimistic thoughts at bay, and instead concentrated on what might go wrong, bracing myself for the worst outcome. That's why everything worked out unbelievably well. So the formula is: you expect failures, but count on your ability to avoid them, and at the end of the day your plan just may work out, and you deceive fate. In our case this 'formula' worked.

How did shooting go on part two and what can we expect from that?

The second movie, 'Day Watch', is just the end of the story that begins in the first movie. It is more ironic, a little bit sentimental, and full of special effects.

What's next for you – will there be a part three?

It's too early to say. Several projects are being discussed, but I wouldn't want to make any definite plans or decisions. The US release of 'Night Watch' is my acquaintance with American audiences. Depending on how this introduction goes, we'll see what's next.

'Night Watch' is released on DVD on April 24.

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