What kind of reception did you get in Cannes?
Podskalská: Beautiful. The school registered us here, and as soon as we were accepted, the festival started writing with us regularly. We received all instructions, everything was furnished on arrival, including the hotel. And we immediately had a common acquaintance with the other competing students, where there was an amazing atmosphere. Collegiate and wishing, not rival at all.
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What awaits you besides the screening?
Podskalská: Photoshoot, participation in one of the gala performances of the main competition, official dinner.
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Podskalský: In a tuxedo and with a bow tie, no tie! The girls are supposed to be in evening dresses. Strict dress codes ordered us, even emphasized that we must not have nice sneakers. It’s actually quite pleasant, one suddenly feels that they are being taken seriously.
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How did your film, a variation on the fairy tale Red Shoes, come about?
Podskalský: The fairy tale has many versions, one was even written by Hans Ch. Andersen. We read those versions and then we created our own. We tried to express the topic of addiction, obsession.
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Podskalská: In each version, the title red shoes mean something different. For Andersen, this is the vanity for which the heroine is punished. We opted for the topic of addiction, shoes can symbolize any addiction from alcohol and drugs to chocolate.
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You chose a folk tale and chose folklore stylization. Isn’t that unusual for your generation?
Podskalská: On the contrary, I feel that thanks to globalization, the interest in folklore is awakening in my generation. Young people want to know their roots, learn about local history, cultural heritage. I have a lot of friends who, around the age of twenty, became interested in folklore and traditions on their own, they embroider, they go to dance folk dances. I think it’s starting to be a new trend. And I found out during my bachelor’s studies that I work well with fairy-tale stuff.
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Podskalský: I think it’s always good to have a foundation from which to bounce back. Our playwright Ivo Trajkov, who heads the editing department at FAMU, teaches us that there are thirty-seven types of stories, no more.
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So we chose a fairy tale, wrote the script for three months, and then drew the shots for about three-quarters of a year.
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Podskalská: We had the whole film made up in advance, Matěj was already editing the storyboards and only then did I start animating. Nobody wants to animate a shot for a week, so that the cutter throws away half.
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You must have seen the films of other contestants. What are your chances?
Podskalský: For us, the dream of being here is a dream come true. We don’t really think about any prices at all.
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