Create not wait: Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman inspires indie creators to embrace limitations; Encourages selecting low-cost stories for better productivity

In a workshop on the sidelines of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), Israeli independent filmmaker Dan Wolman addressed passionate filmmakers who work with meagre resources or financial backing. "Continue making films, do not stop. Success will follow," he told them during the workshop titled From Constraints to Creativity: Thriving as an Independent Filmmaker.

'Writing for your resources, not your fantasy budget'

Wolman said that he thinks the biggest trap filmmakers fall for is waiting for ideal conditions. “Do not sit and wait, thinking you will make a film only when the situation is exactly as you want it,” he said, urging filmmakers to match their ideas to their resources. “Choose low-cost stories. Select stories where locations and actors won’t cost much and consider the duration before making the film," he added. It's also how he runs a film set. “Work with fewer people. I do not hire assistants. This makes the work faster and reduces costs. I choose good actors rather than famous stars,” Wolman said.

The advice that stuck in the room

During the workshop, an independent filmmaker spoke about festival rejections, distribution roadblocks, and the cost of pitching the second film. Wolman’s answer was simple. "Lick your wounds, move on and make another one,” he said. Another student asked how to keep going on days without inspiration, and Wolman responded, “Cinema is the thing that gives me strength. It's something that keeps me alive.”

“There is something very dangerous in the fact that you cannot judge anymore if somebody is really talented, or if they have used AI for their craft. Filmmakers should think carefully about what they replace, and what they risk losing.

- Dan Wolman on the rise of AI in filmmaking

Dan Wolman is a wonderful teacher, a filmmaker driven by passion and humanity and it's great to have him here

- Jabbar Patel, filmmaker and director of PIFF

“Manpower is very less on Dan Wolman's set. It's a deliberate approach just to cut down the budget. Even amid the chaos of larger units, he stayed very calm, but never compromised when it came to performance.

-Seema Biswas, who recently worked with Wolman on Murders Too Close… Love Too Far