Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen on Cannes Dreams, Nightmares and Surfing Their Momentum
Square Peg co-founders Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) have been having a busy Cannes Film Festival. They world premiered the star-studded Aster-directed Eddington, their latest A24 movie on which the duo also functioned as producers, in competition on Friday. And on Monday, they were the stars of the first-ever 'The Shifter(s) Series' session, presented by Winston Baker and The Shift during the Cannes festival and market.
Beyond unveiling the inaugural Square Peg Social, 'a gathering for more seasoned filmmakers and industry professionals to help and nurture a new generation of filmmakers with unvarnished advice and mentorship in an informal and intimate setting,' set to take place in Austin, Texas in October, the dynamic duo also discussed their Cannes experience and the momentum of their production outfit.
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'I've always dreamed of being here, and I'm very aware of all the films that have come here before,' Aster, known as a cinephile, shared on stage in Cannes about what premiering in the fest's competition lineup felt like. He then drew oohs and aahs when he shared: 'I have this chronic issue that I can't enjoy anything. So, I'm trying to remind myself that this is really great, which it is. It's a dream come true. I just had to make sure I keep it from turning into a nightmare.'
The audience erupted in laughter and cheers when Aster answered the question of what he would do if he did not make movies. 'Whether or not I'm good at filmmaking, I don't know. But it's the only thing that I feel comfortable doing,' he said. 'Otherwise, I feel like I'm pretty bad at life. I have only doubts and worries, and anxieties about life. It's the one place where I can lose myself and feel that I'm standing on any sort of solid ground. It's ground that I'm building for myself. But it takes a long time. It's hard when you don't have that foundation yet, and then release the film, and the foundation goes away.'
So how did he and Knudsen decide to form Square Peg together a few years ago? 'When Lars asked me if I wanted to start a production company with him, it was something that I hadn't ever thought about before,' Aster explained. 'But I liked the idea of doing it with him, also because I knew that I'm a director first, and as a producer, I would be more passive than he would be. But I knew that that meant that the people who we would be getting behind would be totally supported and in the same position that I'm in, which is a very lucky position.'
Knudsen said the partnership and its output have proven successful, which has put Square Peg in a great position. 'We've been very fortunate that through our company and the films that we've done that we have been able to create momentum. I think for producing, momentum is everything,' he told the Cannes audience. 'You have to either create your own momentum, or momentum is created for you. But if you want to keep producing, momentum is key.'
Knudsen also shared his experience as a producer. 'I've always been a firm believer that you got to make movies, and that sounds a lot easier to say than to do. But if you make one movie, it's easier to make the next one and just keep going. Right now, we're very fortunate that we are making a lot and we want to use that opportunity to continue to work with filmmakers who are first-time filmmakers, as well as more experienced filmmakers, to keep riding that wave.'
How does Square Peg balance quantity and quality? 'It's very easy to say yes to projects. It's hard to say no,' Knudsen explained. 'We just have to be very good at only doing things that we are very passionate about, because everything takes years of your life from conception to release. It can be 10 years sometimes. And I don't like to give up on a project. So, you need a big slate of films in order to get films made, because not everything's going to get made.'
Aster echoed that notion. 'Mostly, we do things that we all agree on and are excited about,' he emphasized. 'I don't want to say there's anything we're doing that any of us are lukewarm on, but if there's something that one of us is more passionate about than the others, that's great.'
Knudsen added that Square Peg has been 'very deliberate about not being tempted by the lowest-hanging fruit.' The focus for the banner is always on approaching films differently, 'where you make these films that may not fit into the mainstream, but they do,' he explained. 'Hereditary was an eye opener for me [as an example of a movie] that actually can work really well for everyone. A lot of the films I did in the past, which I'm really, really proud of, went to festivals, but they weren't seen by people. But there's a way to do this, and I think that's what we're doing.'
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