Martin Scorsese doesn’t like to know a director’s identity until after he’s watched a movie.
The ‘Gangs of New York’ filmmaker thinks seeing a film without knowing who is behind it helps the viewer to see it as a piece of art "in and of itself, for itself".
Speaking at an event at the New York Film Festival over the weekend, he explained in reference to Joanna Hogg’s ‘Archipelago’: "She’s amazing, Hogg. I just didn’t know her. I didn’t realise who made the picture. I had no idea if it was a man, woman, whatever.
"And it’s so great you can see films that way and not know who did it, and then find out. So you can look at it as art in and of itself, for itself."
The 76-year-old director went on to explain that he believes moviemaking requires "desire and obsession" and what may not be a "good film" may still be good art.
He added: "For a film ‘that works’ or ‘doesn’t work,’ I mean — for who?"
The ‘Irishman’ helmsman also took the time to reflect on the work of the festival’s director Kent Jones, who is to step down after this year’s event, and praised him for injecting his "real love of cinema" into the annual gathering.
He said: "In 1963, when this thing first started, I couldn’t afford the tickets, but it was the most remarkable thing to happen in New York.
"But there’s something about the excitement of those first years that I only felt again when you took the reins here. … It’s a real love of cinema, and it was expressed to me under your guidance during this time."
Martin Scorsese prefers not knowing directors
