How To Become A Director Later In Life

Some filmmakers start young while others become directors as a second career later in life. Acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai falls into the latter category. 

Gitai shared his perspectives on how to break into the film industry during "Doc Day," an event focusing on documentary filmmaking held May 23 during Le Marche du Film (a convention affiliated with the annual Cannes Film Festival in France). I found the event of particular interest as a documentary filmmaker myself who is trying to get the word out about my first movie, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring."

Gitai, 67, earned a Ph.D. in architecture as a young man and didn’t make his first full-length film until the age of 30. In a conversation with with film critic Jean-Michel Frodon, Gitai offered advice for those who are just starting out.

"They asked me, 'What is your advice for young filmmakers?' I said, 'Go and study architecture,'” he said. “We need people who study literature or art or architecture to inject an original point of view in this domain, which is cinema.”

In 1980, Gitai jumped into the world of filmmaking with the documentary “Makes House” for the Israeli television corporation, which refused to air it. The film describes the attachment of Palestinians to their land.

“My original work started as a citizen, not as a filmmaker,” Gitai said. “Cinema became a form of expression.”

“Makes House” was the first of a trilogy of works on the same house in West Jerusalem. The others are “A House in Jerusalem” (1998) and “News from Home/News from House” (2005).

Since then, Gitai has worked on a variety of projects in different countries and received countless international awards and accolades. He advises filmmakers who are interested in building a body of work to not let the lack of funding or resources stop them from realizing their vision.

"When you get an opportunity to make a good film, make it,” he said. “Don't say, 'I need a few euros more.' Make your own economy. Circumstances will not wait on you."