The ECFA Jury “Sometimes socks are more important than shoes”
12. June 2024
It doesn’t happen every day that you get the chance to interview ‘one of the smartest people in the world’. For that, you had to knock on the ECFA Jury's door. Even if there were only two of them left, out of which one was a chatterbox and an alcoholic.
In this jury are Calliope Charalambous (Greece, Athens International Children's Film Festival) and Noy Levin (Israel, Tel Aviv International Children's Film Festival). Missing for this interview was Bregt Van Wijnendaele (Belgium, Antwerp Children’s Film Festival & JEF).
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?
Noy Levin: Calliope.
Which one of you has been talking the most?
Levin: Again… Calliope.
Even while Bregt was still in town?
Levin: As I said… Calliope.
Who fell asleep during screenings?
Calliope Charalambous: I didn’t notice anything suspicious.
Levin: I know very well how to hide it.
If you as festival organisers could steal something from this festival and take it home with you, then what would you steal?
Charalambous: The hospitality and joy of the people working in this festival were admirable.
Levin: I would steal us as best jury members.
Any impressions to share on the city of Zlin?
Charalambous: I’ve been here several times before, but this time I got really impressed by the city and its surroundings: the restaurants, the forest, the Sigmund villa, all these artistic gems that we got to see.
Levin: What I like most are the parks, those green oases in the city. Kids can experience the festival both indoors in the cinema and outdoors; this huge event can be felt throughout the entire town.
Talking about shoes is only a logical next question.
Charalambous: My first pair of shoes ever were Bata! When I just started walking, my mother picked the best possible shoes for me. Bata was very popular in Cyprus at the time.
Levin: I don't wear high heels. And sometimes socks are more important than shoes.
If you say that one more time, the people of Zlin will come with torches and sticks to kick you out of the city.
Charalambous: Then I wonder why they gave us socks as a present, instead of shoes.
What was your favourite animal in this week's film selection?
Charalambous: We didn't have any animals, right? I can’t remember one.
Levin: But from the other festival films, I liked the cat in CHICKEN FOR LINDA (France).
More the cat than the chicken?
Levin: Okay, the cat and the chicken.
Charalambous: I felt sorry for the dog in THE SONG OF SPRING (China). His death was a foreshadowing of all that awaited us in that film.
Which adult character from a film in your selection would you like to get to know better and maybe even ask out on a date?
Levin: Leone Balduzzi, the director of STING LIKE A BEE (Italy), seemed a cool and inspiring artist.
Charalambous: I would ask the girls from TELL THEM ABOUT US (Germany / Jordan) out for dinner to taste their traditional food. In general, there seem to be no hot guys in documentaries.
Levin: One musician in THE GRAND FINALE (Czech Republic) had a tattoo on his ass. Imagine being married to him and having to look at that thing every day.
The festival used to have a geographical focus on one country. Which country would you suggest to put in the spotlight?
Levin: I don't have the chance to watch many Japanese films although I would love to. It’s such a fascinating culture!
Charalambous: Greece has very little production going on. My ultimate goal would be to - maybe in 5 years time - present our own Greek film selection in this festival.
Pick one director that you think should once make or have made a children's film.
Levin: There are so many great TV series for children in Israel, but almost no children’s films are being made. Those TV directors should have some cinema ambitions!
Charalambous: In Greece we had this wave of ‘weird cinema’ and it would be interesting to see one of those directors making a children’s film. I believe that could be hilarious.
Can you introduce the other in one sentence?
Charalambous: Oh… fun!
That's not a very long sentence.
Charalambous: She called me a chatterbox and a drunk earlier this week!
Levin: I think Calliope is one of the smartest people I've ever met.
Charalambous: When I met Noy, it felt like we had known each other for a long time already.
Levin: Together with Bregt, we had a lot of fun. We were very complimentary.
Do you have any advice for the programming committee?
Charalambous: Thank you so much for the nice work. But I would include short documentaries in our section. It would be a great addition to the programme.
Which film recently made you laugh out loud or cry out loud?
Levin: CHICKEN FOR LINDA (France) is a smart and funny film, unique in its way of expression. I was somewhere in between crying and laughing all the time.
Charalambous: STING LIKE A BEE (Italy) had a great sense of humour. There was one scene that was built up in such a sophisticated way that it had the entire audience laughing out loud.
Could you imagine yourself having a parallel career that has nothing to do with cinema?
Charalambous: I had several careers in my life and being a cook was the one I enjoyed the most.
Levin: I'm also working with theatre and I’m a tour guide.
Which character in film history would you have loved to play as an actor?
Charalambous: The colonel in BURNT BY THE SUN by Mikhailkov is a bigger than life character. I insist on playing a male role, even if we’ll die brutally in the end.
Levin: I could be Dorothy in THE WIZARD OF OZ or Sally Bowles in CABARET. That’s Judy Garland and Liza Minelli, mother and daughter, and I love them both.
Were there moments when you realised that the young audience was smarter than you expected?
Charalambous: Always! We’re doing festivals for kids; what did you think? They’re faster, smarter, and always one step ahead.
Which topic would you like to see addressed in the young audience cinema today?
Levin: It’s important for children to see themselves reflected in characters that represent solidarity and independence, which I would love to see happen by making more documentaries for children.
Charalambous: I have a generic answer. I have seen children’s films about the environmental crisis, friendship, brother- and sisterhood, solidarity,... Since all possible topics have been tackled in children’s films, people should simply make more films for kids.
Now I see why someone just called you one of the smartest persons she ever met. Any last impressions that you want to share about the festival?
Levin: I would like to thank the team and the guest department; all of them did great!
Charalambous: The major achievement of this festival is that it is so big and still it feels personal.