Oscar Bravo!

Andrew Ruhemann, founder of production company Passion Pictures, recently jetted to LA for the small matter of attending the Oscars. Ruhemann’s, and co-director Shaun Tan’s short film, The Lost Thing, funded by Screen Australia, was nominated in the Animated Short Film category and, as it turns out, they won. Here, Ruhemann talks to shots.net about the origins of the film and a “holy shit!” moment.

How did the film come about in the first instance?

I went to the Bologna Children's Book Fair on a complete whim.

There in the middle of this arena amongst hundreds of books was Shaun Tan's book The Lost Thing on a podium and I was completely drawn to the front cover and title.

Why did you want to make this particular story?

It seemed very original, moving in an unconventional and very unsentimental way and of course visually extremely striking.

This is your first piece of direction; why did you feel now was the right time to direct?

Yes first direction other than at college. I'd always been a fairly creatively oriented producer, with very strong opinions about storytelling and performance but I think I lacked both confidence and true inspiration to swap the producer's hat for a director's one. Shaun's book changed that. I saw it and thought "this is it". I know how to tell this story cinematically. I also had the comfort and support of Shaun as a co-director so that made the initiation a lot easier.

How did you feel when The Lost Thing first got nominated for an Oscar?

It was 5am and I was in a hotel in Los Angeles with my friend and business partner John Battsek. We'd been together when we heard the good news about the Oscar nomination for our feature doc, One Day in September, in 2000 so we wanted to repeat the ritual. We were also up for a feature doc this year too that John produced called The Tillman Story. He got a call from our publicist saying the doc was not nominated and moments later I got a text from my wife saying "well done darling". John and the director Amir Bar-Lev who was with us in the hotel room were obviously a bit down so it made it harder to fully celebrate as I was upset for them. As it sank in though, it became more and more thrilling

You've won an Oscar before, at least Passion Pictures has; was being nominated again a sweeter feeling as it was a more personal project?

Apart from what I described above, yes. This was a project that I'd lived and breathed for a long time and it was like giving birth and people saying “wow, that's a lovely and very special baby you've produced”.

Did you have a speech prepared in case of winning the Oscar this year, and did you practise your 'gracious loser' face beforehand?

Had a few versions in my head but had decided we weren't going to win.

Shaun was going to do the official thank yous anyway so in the unlikely event of us getting the nod I had a free reign. Then as [Justin] Timberlake and Mila [Kunis] were opening the envelope I suddenly thought "you know I think we might be getting this", so I allowed myself a quick glance to check the route down to the stage.

What went through your mind when they read your name out?

Holy Shit!

Now, as an Oscar-winning director, will you continue to take on directorial jobs?

I'm lucky in that I have a very successful company and always have production as my day job.

I definitely don't want to "have to" direct for a living. It's such a personal thing that it'll be totally project led for me. It'll have to be a project that is worth sweating, bleeding and crying over and I don't see many of those.

As a double Oscar-winning company, what do you think makes Passion stand out from the crowd?

I think the name on the door says most of it..Passion. Also that we're a very close unit that genuinely always puts the project and the story first ahead of any financial or personal interests.

What post-Oscar party(ies) did you attend and who did you see on the dance floor?

I attended the Governor's ball and crashed into Warren Beatty, also spotted Russell Brand, Nicole Kidman and Amy Adams. Everybody at the Vanity Fair party too, of course...including Francis Ford Coppola. Just missed my hero Don Draper (John Hamm) and was irritated by my friend John getting a picture of himself with John Hamm and MY Oscar! John also got the photo sent to him from Hamm's blackberry so now he's got his email and isn't sharing.

What was the strangest thing you saw at the 2011 Oscars?

Myself in the mirror of the green room back stage holding a statue.