Staff Pick: "The Tunnel" by Arash Ashtiani
This week's Staff Pick Premiere, "The Tunnel," BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Arash Ashtiani tells the harrowing tale of three refugees battling for their lives along the Euro Tunnel that connects France to the UK.
Based on true stories The film remains unaffected in its representation of the courage and sacrifice not deservedly imposed on the many millions of people fighting for basic human rights. "The Tunnel" drops us into the third and tense section of a bigger story Ashtiani is writing along with co-writer Daniel Metz. However, it stands by itself as an enthralling and terrifying tale about the extent to which three characters are willing to go for an improved life.
Ashtiani describes his experiences that he heard while preparing this film by describing them as "rollercoasters" of emotional and physical challenges. The film captures this emotion is beautifully captured by the vivid visual design of the tunnel itself and the precise editing that fluctuates between the camaraderie that is formed between the characters in the tunnel, their fear growing that the train has a chance to pass, and the eerie calm at the train station.
Prior to the movie's launch, we spoke to Ashtiani for more information about his film and method of making it. Find out more in-depth review of the process he used to pull of such a compelling and dramatic film.
On the inspiration for this film
"'The Tunnel' was the result of an actual tale. My friends' circle in London includes people who came to the UK through a variety of ways and some in the most amazing and tragic ways during the last 20 years. One of the topics that we talk about is how we each arrived in the UK and how some came via Calais to Kent using different methods of transportation.
As I heard their stories I was compelled to share them. The stories they tell can be described as a rollercoaster ride of events and emotions to me. They face challenges, the dreams they have, the will to move, and also the energy. There's physical and mental exhaustion, and moments when their character is put to the test. There's laughter and joy at the lowest point and these are the things that inspired me to make the film. ."
In the process of writing:
"'The Tunnel The Tunnel' is the final act of the script that Daniel Metz and I wrote together. The first two acts follow these men on their way to Calais training to run the Tunnel. We completed the initial draft of the feature script in 2015. Then we created the short and now we are working on the next draft of our feature script.
The idea was not to make an anti-refugee film, but of course in the course of research and the writing of the script we spoke with refugees who were in Calais and then travelled to the UK. We read the memoirs of people who were refugees and wrote their tales, and played plays, and documentaries. We also watched films on the camps of Calais and the way people live in the camps."
on the design of production and cinematography:
"From the beginning of the writing process there was a question about where to shoot the tunnel. We knew a little bit about the actual EuroTunnel and even though we were keen to capture its true character of the tunnel, we weren't going to restrict ourselves to those particulars. After months of location hunting, we came to the conclusion that it would be best to film in a studio. The problem was to make extensions for each side of the stage.
Mike McLouglin, our production designer, did an amazing job of re-creating a section of the tunnel inside the studio. Nick Morris, our DP was awestruck by how he shot the scene. One of the biggest challenges was creating extensions on each side of the set to see the tunnel as a vast empty black space. Mike extended it with the idea of using an end mirror which means that as the camera stares at the other end, you can see an endless tunnel. Mike created a scale model version of the tunnel and we utilized a Hornby Eurostar model train with an extremely small lens that was connected to it. This allowed us to capture the scenes of the train moving across the tunnel. It seemed bonkers, but after Static VFX then brought their skills and magic to the post-production everything started to make sense and look amazing.
We decided to move closer and closer to our main character as time passed in. Every time we go from the station to the tunnel, we are closer to the main character , and this helps create the feeling of being inside the tunnel, and also the fearless effort to navigate it ."
In the process of editing of the film
"The editing of this film was among the most intriguing aspects of the entire procedure. One of the main tasks I had was for ways to build suspense and tension. My co-writer Daniel Metz and I had written it into the script but I was able understand this in the editing process and have to acknowledge the editor of the film Stuart Gazzard for this.
Through the editing process I found out what type of details we should introduce bit by bit in order to build suspense. The film was shot by Gare du Nord station scenes and also the model train once we had our rough cut. The editing process helped shape the film by defining the main character, making suspenseful and also how the film moves."
The challenge in making the film
"I consider that in general filmmaking is a challenge. One of the main problems filmmakers face is finding funds to produce their films. It took me a couple of years to identify producers. Anna Seifert-Speck was leading a program at Berlinale Talent Campus where she was able to hear me talk about the project and I was introduced to Anna Griffin. Together , we raised money through Lush Film Fund and the BFI Network and Lush Film Fund.
The way of shooting and action scenes is different from emotional scenes. The difference was apparent during the shoot and the difference became clear for me. In looking back over the shoot, I realize that I used the same amount of time between action parts and more emotional ones that could have been done in a different way... It would have been better to bring the excitement and urgency of the escape as well as the running into the scene through a faster and more intense time-frame and spending more time on the moments between the actors."
On hopes for the movie:
"I think what continues to worsen is the rise of Nationalism and populist politicians in British and European government. This is because the governments use racism and anti-migrant sentiments for their own political benefits.
According to the latest British law that was adopted just a few weeks ago, male refugees similar to The Tunnel's characters' will be transferred to Rwanda in the near future waiting for the cases of refugees to be dealt with. I hope the audience understands those going through the mud to reach the adored refugee camp of viewers are real people with hopes for a better existence as well as a more peaceful and fulfilling life. They escape their homes and their countries due to conflict, religious fanaticism, or economic hardship. It is essential that they receive humane treatment so that they can become part of the community rather than being labelled as criminals.
I would like to believe that after viewing a handful of strangers in a strange setting, going through a challenge because of basic human desires, the audience will recognize their commonality and recognize them as human beings."
For aspiring filmmakers:
"Filmmaking isn't a single-person job , and it's a collaboration. Try to find people that make you excited about what you're trying to accomplish. A trust in their tastes is essential for creative collaboration. Trust comes from knowing people. Spend time with them as much as you feel you need, and take note of what they have to say and ask them to share with you their top five films and then see if you can connect with them or not. It doesn't matter if they're close to the movie you'd like to create or not It will allow you to understand if your worlds overlap as well as if you share similar visions of your film.
Do not let the technical aspect of your story bog you down and compromise your narrative due to the technical aspect.
Be respectful to your coworkers and do not make sure you are exigent!"
What's next?
"Developing and directing 'The Tunnel" feature film is the next thing I'm working on. The characters' story unfolds from the time they enter the tunnel. The co-writer of the script, Daniel Metz, and I are creating the feature-length script with what we learned through the production of the short.
I've just finished the feature-length documentary of an Iranian exiled poet, Esmaeel Khoei. She died in London in 2021. It was largely based on VHS tapes that he had accumulated during his early days in exile. It'll be released in October ."