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Interview with Brook Silva-Braga

July 28, 2008

Brook Silva Braga A few weeks ago, I reviewed the movie “A Map for Saturday.” As you know, I loved the movie. I got in contact with the director/star, Brook Silva-Braga, and fresh from his trip in Africa, he was kind of enough to give me an interview.

NM: You took your trip in 2005. What made you decide to video tape it? What kind of reactions did you get on the road?
BSB: Well I had been working at HBO for a while and the only reservation I had about leaving for a year was what it would mean for my career. So bringing the camera was a way to say to myself, ‘See, you aren’t throwing away your career.’ People reacted well to the camera especially once I learned to wait a while before brining it out. It also distinguished me a bit from the rest of the crowd but I think people didn’t really imagine what I was doing would end up in theaters and on TV, I was just a guy with a camera.

In the movie, one of the central themes you hear from travelers is that they didn’t want life to pass them by. I think that’s true with anyone. Why do you think only some people head out on the road while others stay in their office?
Well, I suppose it’s a matter of priorities and background. My parents traveled quite a bit when they were younger and it was always something that was encouraged but not something I prioritized. It was a fluke business trip to Asia that introduced me to the Thai backpacking scene and really planted the seed to take a big trip. If I hadn’t met Bill and Paul on Ko Samui and heard about their RTW trip I probably would still be in an office myself.

I was happy to see you talked about the burnout you can face on the road. Everyone thinks it’s a holiday but sometimes it is work and it wears on you. I experienced it quite a few times during my long haul. Did you get burnt out? How? What did you do about it?
I think people hit a wall, usually about six months in, and I was no exception. I stopped being interested in seeing more temples or churches or city squares. The flip side of that was I became very, very comfortable living on the road. It came to feel like home even though it was a different physical place every few days.

Brook and friends What was the one thing you walked away with from this whole experience?
I think I came away with different ideas about how I want to spend my life and an appreciation for the joys of free time. That perspective can also be a curse for many people who return from long trips and have trouble restarting their lives or careers, often for years after their trip. Even today I struggle to balance my professional and personal ambitions.

What have you been up to since the movie ended? Any new movie in the works? Are you inking major motion picture deals?
I actually just got back from a five month trip through Africa and will spend the summer and fall editing “One Day in Africa,” a documentary following five or six Africans from different backgrounds on one day in their life. There’s a rural farmer, an expecting mother, a college student, etc. I hope to show a side of life in Africa that is more complex than the “look how bad it is” or “look how hopeful it is” variety we tend to see so often.

The movie leaves off in mid-2007 after the Paris premiere. Have you talked to any of the “co-stars” since then?
Yes, I’m still in touch with a lot of them. Sabrina (the German love interest) is coming to New York this fall and Lonnie (the Dane who cuts my hair at the end of the full-length version) is in NYC now and will be crashing on my couch next week. I went to Europe last summer and tried to see as many friends there as possible. It’s really helpful to see people within a year or two, or else that e-mail friendship tends to fade away.

In fact, you talked a lot about how the more time moved forward, the less the e-mails came. With the rise of Facebook, has that changed? Is the five hour friend a thing of the past? Trekking
I don’t think so. I just spent several weeks in Lilongwe, Malawi where I made a number of really good friends. But we haven’t e-mailed or friend-ed each other in the week since I left. I think in the end we probably were ‘Five-hour friends’… we filled a void for each other while we were there and now we’ve gone our own ways. The last time I saw Jens was at the European premiere a year ago but he’s still training to become a pilot for Lufthansa and as I understand it he’ll be doing flight training out in Arizona though I didn’t hear back from my last e-mail to him. Sabrina has moved back to her native Germany after a couple years in Amsterdam, she’s visiting New York and not specifically to see me. I still e-mail Robert, who is a “Five-hour friend” from the movie. He’s married now and living in his native Ireland.

I think that’s true to an extent but Facebook certainly allows you to stay in touch and keep tabs on people easier. In the beginning, I tried to stay in touch with everyone but as you travel you begin to recognize that’s not desirable and get better at picking who’s more than just a “five hour friend.” How has A Map for Saturday changed your life?
Hmm, that’s an interesting question that I don’t think I’ve been asked before. I said before how the trip changed my life by making me appreciate the joys of free time. But it’s been the success of the documentary that has allowed me to stay out of an office the last two years. So I guess A Map for Saturday has changed my life by giving me the freedom to live the life I want to live.

Since not all of us are award winning directors, any advice for those who want to live out of the office?
Well there are a lot of ways to make a living while you’re away, its useful to think a bit more broadly than “travel writer” or “photographer” because everyone wants those jobs and there aren’t many of them. Many of us though have jobs where we can work our butt off for four or five months and then have enough cash to travel on a tight budget the rest of the year.

For more information on the movie “A Map for Saturday” head to Brook’s website where you can see the movie trailer as well as order a copy. Or enter my writing contest and win a free copy!!

If you live in Vancouver, go check out the screening.
Thursday, August 28, 2008, 8 p.m.
Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour St.)
tickets: Buy Here

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Posted by NomadicMatt | Filed Under Interviews

Comments

14 Responses to “Interview with Brook Silva-Braga”

Christy on July 28th, 2008 6:56 pm

Cool idea to interview him. I enjoyed it.
Kirsty on July 28th, 2008 7:33 pm

Nice interview. I too liked that movie. I enjoyed how it focused on the relationships between travellers and some of the locals he met. And the whole thing that travelling really isn’t about where you go, it’s about who you meet. For me it is anyways.

As for the 5 hour friend thing, this one still gets me. I tend to do runners in the early morning to avoid saying bye to my five hour friends. I hate the whole email exchange and half hugs from people I will never contact again and who probably have no intention of ever contacting me. It’s a bit harsh I guess but then again I’m one of those crazies who regularely culls the ol’ Facebook friends list.

One of the things I don’t like about travel is the temporary relationships. They’re great for filling time and having some company on your travels but I much prefer sticking around in a place for a couple months or more to try to build more meaningful friendships. It gets tiring having to say goodbye to people every few days.
Cuckoo on July 28th, 2008 8:16 pm

Great interview Nomad. Five-hour friendship made me think differently. I am waiting for the movie to watch.

Thanks for sharing.
NP on July 28th, 2008 10:34 pm

Great interview Matt! Very interesting actually. I can’t wait to watch his movie!
Dawn on July 29th, 2008 3:40 am

This was a great interview, thank you for sharing. This is a movie that my husband and I have wanted to see, and after your interview it makes us want to see it more. Thanks again!
Helen on July 29th, 2008 6:51 am

love this posting!! two meeting of the minds of two travelers I admire!! you can thank me later for recommending the movie to you :)))
Christine Gilbert on July 29th, 2008 11:01 am

I have a hard enough time maintaining relationships with people I’ve known for years, but there are some people I have met when traveling that I’ve kept in contact with. Usually they have to be REALLY dedicated to keeping in touch with me, but I’m just horrible at it. I think it’s ok to let those things go, though.
Erica on July 29th, 2008 2:04 pm

This is one of my favorite posts so far. Really interesting! I’m looking forward to see “One Day in Africa”.
NomadicMatt on July 29th, 2008 3:41 pm

@Kristy: I sometimes cull my facebook list. I mean if we aren’t going to talk, what’s the point? I hate the temporary relationships too but I think brook makes a good point when he says they fill that temporary void. We’re only in a city for so long and, at least for that short amount of time, we can make the most of it. Otherwise I think you condemn yourself to never wanting to make that leap b/c you don’t want to get attached..

@cuckoo and NP: enter the contest to win a free copy!!!!

@Christine: we know! lol

@erica: thanks!!!
NomadicMatt on July 29th, 2008 10:08 pm

@helen: i owe you!
Greg on July 29th, 2008 10:45 pm

Great stuff man!

You beat me to it, I was going to grab him, Timothy Ferris, and Rolf Potts for an interview series. Excellent job.

- Greg
Startbackpacking.com
Ron in L.A. on July 30th, 2008 3:43 pm

Excellent job Matt, well done…

R(etc… )
Domina on July 30th, 2008 7:14 pm

Great intervew. I had no idea about this movie and just sent the link to all the buddies i met in south america.
My favorite thing about traveling in not know what you are doing next. People would ask me “how long are you staying here?” or “where are you headed next?” and the best reply is “I dont know yet!”
I plan to keep up my blog,… i have some interesting tips on how to get from Colombia to Peru via the Amazon!!!
Julie on July 30th, 2008 8:07 pm

catching up on your posts, and i really look forward to the one day in africa doc.

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