”I lost my mammoth in Quest for Fire”

Anna säger: Do you know any swedish actors?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: Well, of course. But the thing is I decided to shoot with English actors with English accent in order to be consistent. This is why I did my castning session in London.

jocke säger: hi! do you think Enemy at the gates, have any chance to win an oscar next year???

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: It is difficult to even to be nominated when the movie is not released in the last quarter of the year.

Joni N säger: Who"s the best actor...Jude Law or Joseph Fiennes? Who"s the nicest guy?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: Haha... Jude is more instinctive, Joe is more cerebral. Both are extremely talented and behave like gentlement.

anja säger: i will start with a funny question. What is the most awkward thing you have done in your life

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: Hmm, being a filmmaker.

anja säger: hello what do you do on your sparetime

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I fix old refrigerators and vacuum cleaners.

stina säger: Which actor is the best in the world?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: There is no such thing. You have got hundreds of extremely talented actors that are fit for different parts.

Anna säger: Do you know Lasse Hallström? What do you think of his work?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I have never met him personally. I feel that he captured France very well with Chocolat.

sebbef säger: Yo man! Who do u prefere, Jennifer Lopez or Salma Hayeck ?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: What a strange question. It would depend on the part I would have to offer. I never start with a desire to shoot with a specific actor, I first write a part and then try to find the right actor for it.

odilia säger: Bonsoir! Comment ça va? Where do you live? In California?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: No, I am a French citizen living in Paris. Ca va très bien, merci. J"aime le soleil de Stockholm.

Matrix säger: Whats your favorite Scary Movie ?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: The Exorcist, the Director"s cut is excellent.

bulle säger: What"s the main story in Enemy at the gates?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: It is a story of a duel between a young Russian and a much older aristocrat from Germany in the middle of the battle of Stalingrad.

nina säger: Which actors do you work with in ”Enemy at the gate”?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I worked with Jude Law as the young sniper, Joseph Fiennes as the young political commissar, Rachel Weiss as a female sniper and Ed Harris for the German sharp-shooter. Also Bob Hoskins in the part of Chrustjev.

DarkmanX säger: Is "enemy at the gates" a tribute to the russians long neglected effort in the second world war?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: In a way, yes. It is refreshing to have another perspective and show that the Second World War was not only fought by the Americans on the beaches of Normandie.

erik säger: Why did you do the movie?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I did Enemy at the Gates because of a true anecdote that I found in history books that was a wonderful combination with all the tension of a duel in the Western intertwined with the emotions of a love triangle.

Keith säger: which are your favoritefilms and why?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: My favourite would be Ivan the Terrible by Eisenstein, the Seven Samurais by Kurosawa and Laurence of Arabia by David Lean because they combine the excitement of the large screen and the power of a strong storyline.

Amadea säger: Where you sad that "Le goût des autres" didn"t win the Oscar for best foreign language film, and that Binoche wasn"t awarded? :) (Merci pour la joie, j"adore vos films!)

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: As a Frenchman I would have loved to see those movies winning, but Ang Lee"s movie is a beautiful film that deserved to be awarded. And Julia Roberts was really sparkling in Erin Brockovich. Ce complimant me touche!

Joni N säger: Which education is to be preferred for a filmmaker? Do you think its good to know much about literature?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I feel that you should read a lot of fiction and novels, but also see a lot of movies, go to the theatre, go to the museum to see a lot of paintings, and go to all sorts of conserts.

girlie säger: Do you think it´s strange that Chocolat didn´t get any Oscars?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: No, because the other movies in the competition also had extremely strong qualities. In a way it was strange that Chocolat got so many nominations.

nina säger: What do you think of Russel Crow? What he worth a Oscar?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: He was very efficient in his part, and was one of the most convincing actors in the competition, although I felt that Ed Harris was a better choice in Pollock.

Amadea säger: What do you think about Lars von Trier and his works?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I feel it has the same positive effect as the Nouvelle Vague and Jean-Luc Godard"s style. We can compare the use of digital camera to the use of the light-weight equipment invented in the late 50"s and subsequently a step forward...

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: ...in the freedom of style on the level of narrative and visual.

Joni N säger: What does your Oscar statue for "Black and White in Color" mean to you?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: It helped me to get financed for my early ambitious movies, such as Quest for Fire. It made it easier for me to have access to international financing.

sara säger: have there ever happend any misfortune when you are recording a film

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: Oh, unfortunately many. I lost my mammoth in Quest for Fire. It sunk in a swamp and we needed trucks and helicopters to get them out. And in my most recent Enemy at the Gates the boat rigged with explosives blew too soon...

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: ...while the cameras were not yet running.

nisse säger: How much does your film cost to do?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: 72 million dollars, which is about the average budget for American movies.

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: As we shot in Europe it was extremely good value on screen for the money.

Mr säger: Which film - that you have made - do you like most, and why?

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: Always the last one. Very much like a mother who always prefers the new-born.

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I have to run to the premier now, but I hope that you can read longer answers to your questions in the press. I am here all day tomorrow for that reason.

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: I hope you will enjoy my movie as much as I enjoy the sunshine in your beautiful city. In the meantime I enjoyed immensely chatting with you all.

Jean-Jacques Annaud säger: Je vous embrasse!