Jury for Feature Films in the Junior & Youth Category “You’ll find it impossible to make me cry in a movie”

In the jury are Adam Sedlak (Czech Republic, director and screenwriter), Dennis Ruh (Germany, film festival expert and film & industry media director) and Jessika Jankert (Sweden, screenwriter).

    

Let’s see how good you got to know each other after spending a week together. Which one of you has been drinking the most?

Dennis Ruh: That’s an easy answer, Adam.

Adam Sedlak: I’ve never been to any evening event or party!

Ruh: You had your own parties to attend.

   

Which one of you has been talking the most?

Sedlak: Nobody. We are the ‘no fun jury’.

   

Who fell asleep during screenings?

Jessika Jankert: None of us. We seriously watched those films.

   

If you as a festival organiser could steal something from this festival and take it home with you, then what would you steal?

Jankert: The ‘betons’. The Czech version of gin tonic - Becherovka with tonic water - is called ‘beton’.

Ruh: Providing spaces outside the cinema for the general audience and families to engage, to encounter, to build community. Not focusing solely on film, but also on festive events.

   

Any impressions you want to share about the city of Zlín?

Jankert: Everybody in the city is involved with the festival. Remember the fireworks on the opening night…

Sedlak: If you have a dog, fireworks are the worst thing. I wish the Czech Republic would forbid them.

Ruh: All of us learned a lot about the city of Zlin, about its history and its strong connection to film, established through the film studios.

   

Can you say something about shoes?

Sedlak: I'm not really a shoe guy. I don't wear Baťa, I wear Prestige; that’s another Czech brand.

Ruh: I’m wearing Adidas sneakers, a German brand. I live next door to the flagship store in Berlin. That’s convenient.

Jankert: I hate uncomfortable shoes. Even though they might look pretty, it's not worth the effort.

   

What was your favourite animal in this week’s film selection?

Ruh: Dogs were dominating our section, although we had some nice gorillas.

Sedlak: Those were orang-utans. The animated dog in KENSUKE’S KINGDOM (France) was my favourite.

Jankert: The baby monkeys were really cute; I would love to cuddle one.

   

The festival used to have a geographical focus on one country. Which country would you suggest to put in the spotlight?

Ruh: Spain! I studied Spanish film history and I know about their many hidden treasures. Even under the Franco regime, filmmakers were delivering messages in very subtle ways. For me the biggest masterpiece in Spanish cinema is a coming of age film, THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (El Espíritu de la Colmena), which was adapted for a wider audience in PAN’S LABYRINTH.

Sedlak: I like Asian culture; I would be interested in a Japanese or South-Korean focus.

   

Funny how you describe yourself as a non-talkative jury! Which adult character from your film selection would you like to get to know better and maybe ask out on a date?

Sedlak: Certainly not those girls from SISTERHOOD (France). I would rather take the dog out for a walk. I’m good with dogs, you know.

Jankert: The aunt from ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN (Canada). The father in EMMA’S DREAM (Argentina) really needs to go on a date. I might ask him just because he needs it so much.

   

Dennis has been very helpful with suggestions, but didn’t pick one himself yet.

Ruh: I would join the father in YOUNG HEARTS (Belgium) to one of his concerts. It’s not my type of music, but it could be fun.

Jankert: And it would be nice for his wife to have him and his ego out of the house.

   

Pick one director that you think should once make or have made a children's film.

Ruh: Luis Buñuel was such a master when it came to imagination and surrealism. He could have created a beautiful piece for children.

Sedlak: I have a lot of favourite writers, but I’m not particularly waiting for their take on a children’s film. Joachim Trier would make a good children's film director though. He recently became a father, so who knows...

   

Can you introduce the person on your right hand side in one sentence?

Ruh: I would prefer to do it in one word. Adam is rock and roll.

Sedlak: Jessika is Swedish. 100% Swedish. And Dennis, even being a very strict German, deep inside he is really funny.

Jankert: Dennis is one of those people who can speak to anyone, his conversation skills are impressive. Being so Swedish and even shy, finding good conversation sometimes might be hard work for me, so I felt blessed with his company.

   

Look at Dennis’ face when receiving his compliments so elegantly! Do you have any extra advice for the programme committee?

Sedlak: You can always aim for more diversity in topics, genres and formats. The documentaries are now in a separate section, but it would be great to see some.

Jankert: One thing that I find hard to deal with is classifying films in different age categories. The industry should reconsider its priorities when deciding about the target age. More than the age of the main character, other aspects need to be taken into consideration too.

   

Was there a film this week that made you laugh out loud or cry out loud?

Sedlak: One scene in UPROAR (New-Zealand) evoked a strong emotional reaction in me.

Jankert: I was crying in YOUNG HEARTS and laughing with UPROAR.

Ruh: You’ll find it almost impossible to make me cry in a movie, but I admit I was quite moved by YOUNG HEARTS.

   

Could you imagine yourself having a parallel career that has nothing to do with cinema?

Sedlak: Cinema is horrible - I hate it and I'm trying to quit. My dream is to be a surfer on Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Jankert: I really love my job so I wouldn't want to make a change. But at one point when I was struggling to find a new script, I started to study psychology. That could have become a parallel life, but I’m so very glad that it never happened.

Ruh: I have considered an academic career. I got offered a job at a university, but then I realised how much I like to work with people and content, and I like to travel and see the world.

   

Which role from film history would you have liked to play as an actor / actress?

Ruh: I would opt for any bad guy in a Bond film.

Jankert: Pure typecasting! I don't want to be an actress in front of the camera, so I would go for becoming a voice actress. Maybe in SHREK.

Sedlak: My favourite film is REPRISE by Joachim Trier. I dreamed of being around these guys and feeling the friendship they share.

   

Is there a topic that you would like to see addressed more often for a teenage audience?

Ruh: Everyone is struggling with questions about Gaza and war in the Middle East, so it would be nice to find some answers in a film. Making that film won’t be an easy task, I know.

Sedlak: Characters are always struggling with identity, loss,... I would like to see something simple and joyful. A simple story about a boy and his dog, this is something I’d love to watch. The reality nowadays is so harsh and I simply want to escape from time to time.

Ruh: Our viewpoints are very different. I relate to politics and social issues, with film as an opportunity to create space for dialogue.

Sedlak: Then we should do a film about a boy and his dog… in Gaza.

Jankert: Usually it’s not the topics that are the most interesting, but the approach. Everything has been said and done before, but it’s up to a director to put topics in a certain context and make them relevant for the audiences of today.

   

Any last impressions that you want to share about the festival?

Sedlak: I really enjoyed sharing this experience with these two guys. We called ourselves the ‘no-fun-jury’ as a running gag, but actually we had great fun.

Ruh: Watching the films with those young audiences, I found that very energising.

    

And I’m happy to make this interview the ultimate climax of such an enjoyable week! Thank you so much.