An internationally successful British filmmaker with 25 years’ experience in the industry, Peter Webber has worked in TV and cinema around the world on documentaries, commercials and films. Covering a wide range of subjects, his work has included ‘The Zebra Man’, ‘The Temptation of Franz Schubert’, and ‘Underground’, as well as ‘Men Only’, ‘The Stretford Wives’, and ‘Hannibal Rising’. His impressive debut feature film, ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, received numerous accolades including 3 Academy Award Nominations, 2 Golden Globe Nominations, and 10 BAFTA Award Nominations, amongst others.

Peter Webber has also worked alongside the organisers of Qatar National Day to assist with the creative direction for Qatar National Day promotions, including directing the film ‘Jassim’, about Qatar’s founding father, and has recently been working with both Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the National Museum of Qatar.

DFI: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
Peter: When I was 15 I saw Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Pierrot Le Fou’, which blew my tiny teenage mind. From that moment on things were never the same. It made me understand that there was a controlling intelligence behind the camera, and it showed that films could be more than mere entertainment.

DFI: How did you start your career, and what were the challenges you faced in your early years?
Peter: I did a post graduate filmmaking course at Bristol University for a year, and then started working as a TV editor in the UK after that. The challenges never finish – moving from editing to directing, then from directing TV to directing movies; each of these was a difficult process. Getting any kind of film off the ground is tricky. There’s no real route map for success, no real career structure. You have to love it.

DFI: From award winning documentaries to award nominated fiction – are you inclined towards both genres, or do you have preferences?
Peter: I love both genres. I like the control you have in creating your own universe when you make fiction, although sometimes shooting in a studio can become a bit dull and predictable. Documentaries are great because they plunge you into fascinating worlds, whether it be the heart of the Amazon jungle, or the high tech nuclear physics experiments of Fermilab. But there are always frustrations when you have to react to the real world rather than controlling it, as you do with fiction.

DFI: ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ captured the heart of audiences worldwide, with numerous awards and 3 Oscar nominations. Can you tell us the story behind this film, and what you believe led to its success?
Peter: Come to the screening and I’ll tell you the whole story! The book, which was a best-seller, was optioned by producer Andy Patterson. It was originally going to be directed by Mike Newell and star Kate Hudson and Ralph Fiennes, but that version fell apart, and I was in the right place at the right time.

Peter Webber on Set.

DFI: Are you directing another feature soon, and if so, can you tell us a little about it?
Peter: I’m developing a couple of things, including two Arabic themed projects. It’s too early to talk about them, though, but I will keep you posted!

DFI: You have been doing some wonderful work in the region lately. If I am not mistaken, it started with the beautiful film ‘Jassim’. How did this journey begin?
Peter: I got a phone call out of the blue from the organisers of Qatar National Day who had seen ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring’, and they invited me over to make a 20 minute film about Qatar’s founding father, Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Al Thani, which was screened at the first Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) in 2009. They loved the work, and invited me to stay to make some more films for them and help them with the creative direction of National Day, which I have done for the last two years. A highlight of this was having three short films that I made projected on giant screens on the Corniche last year as part of the Nation Day celebrations.

DFI: What other work have you been involved in in Qatar, and do you find it challenging to shoot here?
Peter: It’s a tricky environment to shoot in, both because of the climate and the lack of an established industry and infrastructure. Things are changing fast though, with the work that DFI are doing. I’ve also recently become involved with the National Museum of Qatar, which will have some amazing audio visual material as part of its exhibit when it opens in a few years.

DFI: Can you tell us what captures you about the region as a person, and as a filmmaker?
Peter: There’s an amazing up swell of new voices in the region, and many new stories to tell, especially with the political changes heralded by the Arab Spring. The region is beginning to find its voice. This is true not only in the world of cinema but also the world of art – you only have to look at the recent show at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art to see how a modern voice is being created as we speak. It’s a very exciting time to be here.

DFI: How do you see filmmaking in the Middle East developing in the coming years?
Peter: The discovery of new voices, and the creation of a new young audience that wants much more than mere Hollywood pap, makes this happen. The world’s vision of this region will be revolutionised and the stereotypes turned on their heads in the not too distant future.

DFI: Several DFI student filmmakers attended your shoots and mentioned the beautiful energy amongst all of the crewmembers, and the accuracy and punctuality at work. Do you have any advice for young filmmakers when preparing for a shoot?
Peter: Be well prepared, make a plan, and be flexible enough to throw it away when circumstances change, as they always do on the shoot. Hiring the right crew is very important, and attitude can often be as important as talent.

DFI: What does filmmaking mean to you?
Peter: It means having survived my adult life never having had to take a real job. And that’s a gift.

DFI: What is your advice to young filmmakers who want to follow in your steps?
Peter: Do it because you have to. If you’re not burning with love for the medium, forget it. If you want fame, go into reality TV. If you want money, go into real estate.

DFI: What is your favourite film and why?
Peter: My current favourite film is a two minute short made by a friend on their computer, but in terms of something that everyone can see… having seen the premiere of ‘The Tree of Life’ during the Cannes Film Festival last month, I’m currently having a Terrence Malick moment.