It [Germany, Pale Mother] has been re-released three times in France, whereas in Germany there is not even a DVD version available, and people virtually don’t know about it.
TT: Is that part of the reason why you have made fewer films since 1990s.
HS: Yes, it has been a fight. I re-wrote the script [for Beloved Clara] 22 times. The final draft used to shoot the film is the second one I finished in 1996. The script was given to television stations, but refused by all. I simply don’t understand why it had to be such a long battle. Anyway, the film is doing fine in Paris and here [in Taiwan]. It looks like it will do fine in Japan and the US.
TT: Do you feel close to Clara?
HS: I feel particularly close to Johannes. The reason being, first of all, he was my great-great-great-uncle, and I love this guy [laughs]. I hated his music when I was young. Born in a family like that, you had to hate the music in order to find yourself.
I suddenly fell in love with his music in my mid-40s. It was in the French countryside in 1988. There was no traffic, no noise. It was quiet, and beautiful landscape surrounded me. All of sudden, I heard his music. It brought such beauty as if it came from within.
TT: If you have any new projects coming can you tell me about them?
HS: No, I don’t talk about ... [Pauses.] I would like to have a project in Taiwan. I have a distinct childhood memory that relates to the place. When I was little, there was a Taiwanese man invited by my grandparents to stay with us. He taught me how to use chopsticks and lots of things about Chinese and Japanese culture. My first visit here felt like a childhood memory coming to life, and I liked this place very much. I still like it.
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