03 · 30 · 18

Fear—a Motivation: Interview with Diego Ros, Director of The Night Guard

Gabriela Martínez @GabbMartivel

The film The Night Guard directed by Diego Ros, premieres this March 29 in Mexican theaters. Diego Ros's debut feature was part of the Mexican Feature Film Section of the fourteenth edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), where he won the OJO for Mexican Feature Film, the Stella Artois Award and gave Leonardo Alonso the Ojo for Best Mexican Feature Actor.

In interview for FICM, Diego Ros talked about his experience after winning in the fourteenth edition of the festival and how it was to make the leap to film direction.

What did it mean for The Night Guard to win the OJO to Mexican Feature Film at the 14th FICM?

It was a great surprise! It allowed the film to be seen by people from other festivals, which was a very good push. It changed me completely.

From Morelia, the movie went to Freiburg, Switzerland, Lima and Los Angeles; It was precisely at the Los Angeles Film Festival where he won the Best International Film award. The film was part of the official selections of those four festivals. Then it went to Mar del Plata in Argentina; It was in Durango, Monterrey and Torreón, it also participated in some exhibitions in Paris.

This year it will be presented in Spain and Lebanon. In total, The Night Guard has been in more than 30 countries.

Your career started as an editor and post-producer, what motivated you to take the leap to the direction?

When I studied film, I had the idea of ​​being only an editor. Technology has allowed disciplines to mix and that is how one begins to venture into different areas. In the past,  only photographers knew how to illuminate, for example, or knew how to do certain processes, but with technology it is easier to learn to do more.

I'm more an editor than anything else. I love editing and making sense of the footage that at times seems to have no form and, in a way, editing has helped me write, suddenly editing is a bit like that and it helps you.

Do you have a director that you consider your influence?

Today is Lucrecia Martel, her films grow every time I see them, it is very impressive.

What are your next projects?

I'm writing a script for a movie about an actress and her relationship with her mother. It is something totally different from The Night Guard. I was inspired by John Cassavetes' Opening Night (1977), about an actress who doesn't want to participate in a play because she doesn't want to play the role as they ask, then she thinks about giving up, but she knows that this would make her feel unsuccessful and that is hes great dilemma.

I am thinking of a script with few characters and I would like to film it in Mexico, my interest is to continue doing Mexican cinema.

What advice can you give to the new filmmakers?

Do not be afraid to fail, the fear of failure is what can hamper your work. When you fail at something, it is an opportunity to overcome fear; In some way, failure motivates you and gives you more energy to try again and do things. You have to live with it, with the idea that failure is a possibility, but the sooner you assume it, the better. Do not stop trying.