Interview: Nicolas Greinacher, Director of ‘Ayaneh’, the Muslim LGBT Drama, on his vision

Nicolas Greinacher is an award winning film director from Switzerland. His talent was discovered 2013 when he won the Directorial Discovery Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival for his first short film. Since then, Nicolas’ films have screened at over 40 International Film Festivals, cinema, television and online streaming services. He talks to us about his vision for his short film Ayaneh…

indieactivity : Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, and production?
Nicolas Greinacher : I threw myself into this project 3 years ago and must have spent at least 2’000 hours on it. There were over 150 (!) iterations of the script and amongst all of my films (which include a Feature Documentary), I’d say this one was by far the most time-intensive. Given the sensitivity of the issues addressed in AYANEH (LGBTQ, Muslim, Refugees) I felt obligated to get it right.

Related Story: Nicolas Greinacher’s Muslim LGBT Drama ‘Ayaneh’ Receives Theatrical Release

indieactivity : Did you start writing with a cast in mind?
Nicolas Greinacher : Not particularly, but I knew very early on that this film could only be made if we find the right lead actress as she is carrying the film. I travelled all over Europe and spoke with dozens of actresses. Luckily I met the immensely talented Afsaneh Dehrouyeh (Tyrant) in London and we hit it off right away.

indieactivity : How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Nicolas Greinacher : I have no formal writing process but one thing is for sure, there can’t be enough re-writes and a script is never really finished until you are on set. Overall, I worked on the script for about 18 months before we headed into production. I was fortunate to have very talented people from the industry supporting me during the writing process such as Academy Award Nominee Talkhon Hamzavi or my producer Rajko Jazbec, who is a member of the European Film Academy.

Set in Switzerland, Ayaneh, a young refugee from Afghanistan. One day at a public swimming pool she meets Anna and is instantly attracted to her. As the relationship between the two women develop, Ayaneh is confronted with resistance from her religious family.

indieactivity : What was your first project?
Nicolas Greinacher : I stumbled upon a sensitive issue in Switzerland which relates back to the Second World War. Despite the fact that thousands of Jewish Refugees were able to take shelter in Switzerland and escape from the Nazis, there was a period in which Switzerland was refusing Jewish Refugees to enter. In most cases that meant they would be sent to the concentration camps. “Forgiven Is Not Forgotten” screened at various and also Jewish Film Festivals around the world and with that film I also won the “Directorial Discovery Award” at the legendary Rhode Island International Film Festival. That award and the positive reaction from audiences gave me the confidence to pursue filmmaking.

indieactivity : Which scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Nicolas Greinacher : Definitely the underwater shots. We had to put the Arri Alexa into a waterproof bag and hire a scuba diver who was shooting from the bottom of the swimming pool. The camera was heating up fast and we had to take several unplanned breaks for it to cool down. We only had one camera and I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if the camera would have been damaged. Luckily everything turned out well and the underwater shots work beautifully in the film

indieactivity : What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
Nicolas Greinacher : My previous short film “Sandrine” (25 International Film Festivals) was shot over a period of 18 hours with a very small crew, thus high intimacy on set. AYANEH was different, we shot with a regular crew over a period of 6 days. If we would have worked like this on “Sandrine” we probably wouldn’t have been able to capture all that energy and intimacy which we did.

indieactivity : Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business that you struggle with?
Nicolas Greinacher : It’s always about the money. Funding independent films are and remains very hard. To date, I’ve written and directed three short films and one feature documentary. All of them played at dozens of Film Festivals, won awards and even played on television. Yet I was never able to work with a full budget with enough time to shoot scene by scene, always cutting back and carving out what is not vital to the film. I wish one day that I can make a film where money is no issue. But then, it’s not the money that makes a good film, it’s the story and the team working on it.

That’s why a trusted creative team is ESSENTIAL. Everyone is bound to lose faith in the process at some point, and a crew which can fish you out back on board can save your life and your film.

indieactivity : Where do you think your strengths lie as a filmmaker?
Nicolas Greinacher : Identifying topical issues and not being afraid to make a film about them.

indieactivity : How was the film financed?
Nicolas Greinacher : About 25% from film foundations and the remainder by the 3 F’s – Family, Friends, and Fools.

indieactivity : What do you hope audiences get from your film?
Nicolas Greinacher : That it’s okay to fight for who you want to be in your life.

indieactivity : What else have you got in the works?
Nicolas Greinacher : A Feature Script called “Love does not make you a fool” and an idea on a new Feature Documentary about a famous Swiss musician.

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