This month’s pick from Dazed & Discovered, our Vimeo channel for young film talent, is Tobacco; a short documentary by Victor Pakpour exploring youth culture in Paris and Copenhagen. Filmed entirely on 8mm, the LA-based filmmaker touches on a variety of subjects from politics to body image. Read the interview with Pakpour below. To submit your film to Dazed & Discovered, visit the Vimeo group.
How did Tobacco come about?
Viktor Pakpour: I’ve always been fascinated with European culture. After researching, I wanted to pick up a camera and try and focus in on what this meant to me.
What made you decide on this approach for a short film documenting today’s youth?
Viktor Pakpour: I wanted to take a raw and candid approach with the film. Super 8 has such a unique look and feel. I wanted to document something that had my imprint and style and this format worked well for the specific film.
Who are the people we hear in the film? Where did you meet them?
Viktor Pakpour: I went to a house party in Copenhagen and brought a mic along. After a few drinks, we interviewed various house guests about politics, religion and culture. The film for me is very much a subjective view on the people you meet when travelling. I wanted that honesty wherever we shot, so I applied the same technique to sound.
Coming from LA, what do you think sets European youth culture apart from American youth?
Viktor Pakpour: Europeans have a culture based around having ‘taste’, in my opinion. French and European filmmakers have an agenda, whether it’s to entertain or inform, and that’s what I wanted to discover when making this film and going on the journey.
What else are you working on this year?
Viktor Pakpour: I’m currently in production working on a feature film focused on surfing, set for release in summer 2015, as well as pre-production of some short-form projects.
