I first met Florian Habicht in the late ‘90s when we flatted together on Hopetoun Street, between Ponsonby and K-Road in central Auckland. He was an aspiring film maker even then, making a living taking exceptionally vibrant and colourful photographs of weddings.
Pulp Photo: Nat Urazmetova
He could never find a suit that could accommodate his ape-like arms. He’d shamble out the door with his ankles showing and camera bag flailing; then return with beautifully evocative images of couples in motion, confetti raining down, but it was a chore for him.
Fifteen years later his unique documentaries have taken him on several circumnavigations and I wonder if he’ll remember me. Last week, immediately after the grand New Zealand premiere of his latest work – about the band Pulp – the director was the centre of attention.
I caught-up with the tall lanky gent and the party has moved up the road to the Q Theatre bar where Golden Dawn manager, Matthew Crawley, was encouraging revellers to sing Pulp songs during karaoke.
Florian looked exhausted, but happy. He told me his next piece will be a feature film and that he’ll stay behind the camera. He’s been yearning to complete such a project for years, but his willingness to take on unlikely ideas has dragged him, ad hoc, all over the world.
One charming, almost angelic young woman has travelled all the way from Atlanta to see the band's last hometown show. She loves their music "because they sing about solo mums, and I'm a solo mum".
Before the curtain came up, Florian addressed the Civic crowd of somewhere near 2,000 people that included almost all of his friends and relatives. He shaded his eyes trying to pick out familiar faces. We find out his first night in Sheffield was spent welded to the toilet with food poisoning while on the phone, conducting a series of live radio interviews to promote the Australian premier of his previous film, Love Story. He had planned to be in Sydney and Melbourne, but the chance to cover Pulp’s final reunion shows surfaced suddenly, a mere two months before their last hometown gig.
One of the many challenges for Habicht was the fact that he’d only have one shot at filming the band in concert. The entire project hinged on that Sheffield shoot going well.
During that brief eight week period Habicht got to know this medium-sized Northern city and the understated folk who populate it, almost all avid Pulp fans. As the night of the concert approaches Sheffield bubbles with excitement that spans many generations.
A pair of old woman in the Castle Markets say their dancing days are over; a young butcher mentions Jarvis Cocker used to be an apprentice fishmonger. Cut to Jarvis Cocker remembering how hard it was to get the smell of fish off his hands before heading out on Saturday night.
“I’d go out smelling of fish and bleach, which is almost worse than just smelling of fish.”
On the night of the show we meet a score of Pulp fans waiting outside the venue, one charming, almost angelic young woman has travelled all the way from Atlanta to see the band’s last hometown show. She loves their music “because they sing about solo mums, and I’m a solo mum”. The film is jammed with these poignant moments and Florian credits director of photography Maria Ines Manchego with insisting that they shoot with film lenses on high-quality digital stock to capture the texture and colour of these Sheffield characters. Ines Manchego was also part of the team that produced Love Story and while they abandoned the lower quality cameras from that shoot they retained their unusual habit of editing the film as they went, as Habicht explains before the premier.
Florian Harbicht (waving) next to Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker, among band members and characters from the film. Photo: NZIFF
The film is peppered with authentic and powerful concert footage. While the sound is perhaps a touch too brittle, the overall effect transports you to the arena for the final show. Habicht had well over a dozen cameras around the stage, in the pit and sequestered into the audience and the result is riveting. When the curtain comes down you’re left with that same feeling after a thumping live show, eyes dazzled and ears ringing.
Afterward, the film Florian lopes on stage and conducts a live Skype Q & A with Pulp lead singer, Jarvis Cocker, who appears huge on the giant Civic Theatre screen. They have a warm and easy rapport. Habicht is surprised to learn the Castle Markets, almost another star of the film, have been demolished. Then we hear Cocker encourage musicians to keep plugging away. “Pulp were at it for over 10 years before we got any kind of success.”
It’s a joy to see Habicht “giving birth” to another of his films at the Civic. He’s an infectious and playful host who surprises and charms on screen and in person.
