The Director’s Essential Tool: A Camera Permit

This is during an interview regarding the documentary And The King Said, What A Fantastic Machine, of which he is executive producer, that Ruben Östlund (The Square) spoke to the British media The Guardian. He then explains his strong point of view on the dangerous power of cameras.

Discover The Square by Ruben Östlund on Amazon Prime Video

Cameras are weapons

According to Östlund, it is important to understand the impact that cameras, and by extension films, have on our perception of the world. If cameras and what they film for cinema and media dictate our lives, why not regulate their use?

I have an idea. What if you were only allowed to use a camera with a permit? There needs to be one for firearms; at least in developed countries. The camera is a truly powerful tool. – Ruben Östlund (The Guardian)

If many judge this radical, even questionable opinionthe man justifies this position by arguing that: “Films change the world, and it's important to take that into account when you're in the business.“. According to him : “In the entertainment industry, there's this strange feeling that if you're dealing with fiction, then it's not going to have an impact on the world. You really have to fight for people to understand what kind of effect the images we consume have”.

A sulphurous director

During a previous festival, Östlund had already warned about the importance of the 7th art in the perception of the worldrevealing in passing some information about his fourth feature film – The Entertainment System is Down – whose message already focused on our in relation to screens.

With this new statement, many Internet users responded to the director's opinion. Some have called this thinking elitist, when others, more incisive, admit that it would indeed be a good idea if it “let's stop him from making films”. The man who has twice won the Palme d'Or is known for his sulphurous declarations and does not hesitate to deliberately provoke, if this helps to change mentalities. President of the Cannes Festival jury, for example, he asked the jurors to express themselves fully, hoping for heated debates.