A pensive Julian Schnabel had much to say about death and immortality in art when he screened his latest film, In The Hand of Dante, as the opening night film at Tribeca Festival Lisboa on Wednesday night in Lisbon, Portugal.

Schnabel, wearing his signature artist smock and fedora, during a post-screening QA discussed themes of art and the creative process, and argued artists create as a way to confront a fear of death.

Whether youre an actor or youre a painter, youre using yourself as a guinea pig and the tool, and you make this thing and the thing becomes the thing that lasts. Its a way of transgressing death, he insisted. Schnabel then added Im not going to be around here for very long. I might be here for a few more years. Even if he lived to be 100 years old, the filmmaker known for his art history biopicsBasquiatandAt Eternitys Gate added the thing is the work, becoming the poem is the thing.

At another point in the QA, after referring to a line in the film claiming God is a woman, Schnabel touted the influence of his wife, Louise Kugelberg, on the film as she stood in the audience to take credit for co-writing and editing the film.

In the Hand of Danteis adapted from Nick Tosches 2002 novel of the same name, and stars Oscar Isaac as both the middle ages poet Dante Alighieri and a modern-day author drawn into a dangerous quest when a handwritten manuscript ofThe Divine Comedyresurfaces via the Vatican and lands in the hands of a New York mob boss.

The film, which bowed in Venice, also stars Gal Gadot,Gerard Butler, Al Pacino,John Malkovich, Martin Scorsese and Jason Momoa.

Tribeca Festival Lisboa runs through to Nov. 1.