As I froghop from
Animafest in Zagreb to Annecy (in, y'know, Annecy), here are a couple of interviews worth sharing.
In
episode 72 of the podcast we welcome
Eva Cvijanović, director of the
National Film Board of Canada/
Bonobostudio short
Hedgehog’s Home that, on top of playing in the Annecy competition this week (with
Anima Mundi to follow in July), recently picked up the
Animafest Audience award, understandably so as it was easily the most enthusiastically-received film that played at the fest).
A graduate of Concordia University, Eva’s independent film work includes 2010’s
Once Upon a Many Time and 2013’s
Seasick. Her work with the NFB began with her participation in the seventh edition of the
Hothouse apprenticeship scheme, for which she made
The Kiss (2011). Since then she has created the micro-short
Survival of the Fittest (originally produced in 2014 and released this year as part of the NFB’s
Naked Island series) with
Hedgehog’s Home,
a stop-motion adaptation of Branko Ćopić’s classic children’s book,
being her most ambitious film project to date.
Also discussed in this episode: Annecy anticipation, the quasi-controversy of
Red Shoes,
Emoji Movie emoting and the gloriously dubious VFX of
Twin Peaks. Stream above or
direct download here.
I've also today put up a written interview with the film's co-producer Jelena Popović about her involvement in the films as well as some other recent projects including Chintis Lundgren's
Manivald,
Sheldon Cohen’s My Heart Attack,
Theo Ushev’s Blood Manifesto and the recent NFB micro-shorts series
Naked Island. She's a tremendous person doing tremendous things so please do take the time to check out the piece and look into some of what she's been up to, you'll be glad you did:
Producing Animation: Jelena Popović
Right, off to get in some lake time before press duties commence. Happy heatwave, everyone!