On Nov, 10 th, Judith State received the award of the Romanian Filmfestival 2022
for acting. The statuette has been designed in 2018 by Geo Goidaci,
an artist born in Romania, who lives and works in Munich.

[ Photo: Edmund Fota (ge-fo-rum) ]

….. Interview with Judith State – Part 3 / 3

[ 9. ] As a choreographer you have great creative control over the outcome of a
project. As an actress you have to rely on the director’s vision – and often you only
see the movie as a whole when it’s finished. What kind of feelings do you have
shortly before you get to see a finished film for the first time?

[ STATE ] — I’m naturally eager and anxious to see the result but, at the same time,
I feel free of thought about how I or the others will perceive it, perceive me and my
acting. It’s a very interesting state for me as I’m usually highly critical when seeing
myself dance for example, and I very rarely like the results of my work. In the case
of films, once the director is happy, I also feel a sort of gratitude and satisfaction
as I’m very much aware that I’m only part of something bigger, and fulfilling
someone else’s vision.

[ 10. ] Your latest movie „Zenith“ is a dystopian sci-fi – telling its story mainly through powerful movements and not by words. In which way did your dancing experience in this setting differ from when you are developing a dance piece for the (live) stage?

[ STATE ] — It was very much different from anything else that I’ve done before and from what I expected it to be. First of all because it happened after the 2 years break that the pandemics imposed, time during which a lot has changed around and within myself and I barely got the chance to train whatsoever, so my physical and mental states were far away from the ones I was in when I got the audition for the part.

Then, the whole action happens in an underground setting so we shot in a cave during October – November, crawling on the stone floor, being in that dark, cold and humid environment day in – day out. It was quite tough!

Then there was the camera and the many options it offers by changing its position,
as opposed to the one chance you have while performing live. It’s a very different
approach, just like the tools of theatre and film are different.

It’ll probably premiere next year and I am really curious to see the outcome.

[ 11. ] You seem to like diving into experimental / „adventurous“ projects – what would be your reaction if Lars von Trier, Ruben Östlund or Claire Denis called you?

[ STATE ] — I would love to work with Claire Denis for sure 🙂

[ 12. ] Can you already tell us something about your next movie project?
Could there be a film „R.M.N. II “ ?

[ STATE ] — I’m in the casting process as we speak for another film, but I don’t
know yet what the outcome will be. But anyways I almost never speak about the
ongoing things, I like to wait until they are done. There’s a beauty in this
waiting, and also a cleanness that keeps my focus sharper.

Thank you for taking your time for this interview.

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