We had a delight speaking with Halina Reijn about her work and experience with the new Xiaomi Mi 11.

How did the current strange times influence your creativity and development of your artistic work?

Due to the pandemic as an artist,you are thrown back more onto yourself, now more than ever. You are writing ideas alone and developing them by yourself. I miss working the dynamic of working a team, the physical presence and feedback from the team, creating the end product together. I really miss this. 

What are your first experiences and memories with art and music? And what made you embark on a profession in this industry?

was six when i saw the movie "annie". that world appeared to me, when i got home i said to my parents that i wanted to be an actress, later i find out that actors didn't make the film but a giant team behind it. from this moment my dream began to be a maker.

What is the biggest lesson you have learnt in 2020? What is your outtake on 2020?

To make decisions and be fearless.The message we want to bring is that the true beauty of life is in the details; as in creativity, challenging yourself, you have to create the cinematographic magic yourself. The short movie is about the transition from myself as an actress to a director.

How does your research process work when preparing for a new role or a new production?

It starts with in-depth studies. understanding the personality, script. my goal is to bring everything taboo and hidden to the light. For instance, with one of my latest films, it’s about the seksworkers industry. I had to visit the neighbourhoods where this happens, see the environment and understanding the scenery better. 

 When I got a call about this, I immediately thought it was a very nice project. This was kind of a cool, tantalizing challenge to make something cinematographic, cinematic with very limited resources. The idea was to create a cinematographic whole with limited resources, in a simple way, appealed to me. Normally we work with a whole crew of up to 50 people, and it takes months, sometimes years to complete a production and this was actually a completely different way of making film.

How do you think Covid-19 will affect the film  industry long-term?

The film industry will become more agile and lean. At the moment all the productions have to be done with limited people, more regulations so it is really testing the possibilities and making something with very few resources and manpower. With the Xiaomi Mi 11 project you can see that for a large production, you don’t need that many people but you have to be willing to take the challenge. 

Tell us more about your collaboration with Xiaomi and your experience with the new Mi 11? 

– When I got a call about this, I immediately thought it was a very nice project. This was kind of a cool, tantalizing challenge to make something cinematographic, cinematic with very limited resources. The idea was to create a cinematographic whole with limited resources, in a simple way, appealed to me. Normally we work with a whole crew of up to 50 people, and it takes months, sometimes years to complete a production and this was actually a completely different way of making film.

– I immediately called Jasper Wolf, called one of the best cameramen, called internationally, one of the best directors of videography / videographers. He immediately said yes and so I immediately thought this will work.

– The Mi 11 is a great device, it is a phone with which you can make real movies without a crew. You can film at 8K and capture literally every detail.

Tell our readers about your favourite features of the new Mi 11.

– That 8K is completely unique. We did need some extra memory because it is a heavy format and if you can do that, you have beautiful details and that is very cool and unique. That means that the cinematic comes much closer than on a normal smartphone.

– What I also like very much, the shots made on the roof and in the metro, and the shots that you still have a very beautiful image with less light

What is the message and story behind  your direction and filming of a short movie on a 8K smartphone?

The message we want to bring is that the true beauty of life is in the details; as in creativity, challenging yourself, you have to create the cinematographic magic yourself. The short movie is about the transition from myself as an actress to a director. The final shot on the roof terrace is when I relax again and have found my happy place and overview.

I made the short film as a real day in my life as a creative person, filming, acting, writing, painting and directing. That is, if you can capture the right details with the right equipment. I decided to direct, play and film with my Mi 11 to show the capabilities of the device, along with my message.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY-qSu9T_dA&feature=youtu.be

The Mi 11 will be available for pre-order in the Netherlands from February 26 for a price starting at EUR 849 for the 8GB + 256GB variant. The pre-order will run until March 14 through registration. When pre-ordering the Mi 11 at KPN in the Netherlands, consumers will receive, after registering for the pre-order, a Mi Smart Compact Projector worth € 499. With the pre-order on the sales channels BelsimpelCoolblueBol.com, MediaMarkt and Mobiel.nl  customers receive, after registering for the pre-order, a Mi Watch wearable worth € 129. On Xiaomi's own channel mi.com/nl, the Mi 11 4GB + 128GB version is available and the pre-order, after registration, is the choice of a Mi Smart Band 5 or the Mi True Wireless Earphones, plus a voucher for the next purchase worth € 150.

The Mi 11 will be officially for sale from March 15 through the following Dutch channels: Mi.comVodafoneKPN.comBelsimpelCoolblueBol.comMediaMarkt en Mobiel.nl.