The American Film Institute: A Message From Bob Gazzale, President and CEO of the American Film Institute ›

AFI CEO Bob Gazzale issued the following statement in response to  tragic events in Aurora, Colorado.

“Movie theaters are magical places. They bring us together to share our nation’s dreams – and even inspire us to stand in line at midnight to be among the first to see a cultural phenomenon. At the American Film institute, we are deeply saddened that somebody has attempted to rob us of that magic – and as a community of artists and audiences – we mourn the loss of our fellow movie lovers and offer our deepest condolences.”

Béla Tarr (born July 21, 1955)

“I don’t care about stories. I never did. Every story is the same. We have no new stories. We’re just repeating the same ones. I really don’t think, when you do a movie that you have to think about the story. The film isn’t the story. It’s mostly picture, sound, a lot of emotions. The stories are just covering something. With Damnation, for example, if you’re a Hollywood studio professional, you could tell this story in 20 minutes. It’s simple. Why did I take so long? Because I didn’t want to show you the story. I wanted to show this man’s life.”