thursday 4. 7. 2019 07 free festival kviff’s main media partner Inside Main competition: To the Stars and Ode to Nothing 02 daily In Fabric: Blood, sweat and tears 03 Midnight Screenings: Classic chills and gross- outs 04 special edition of Právo Photo: Jan Handrejch Photo: Actor Jaeden Martell with the director at Tuesday’s world premiere of The True Adventures of Wolfboy in the Grand Hall. A boy, a Czech and no werewolves Martin Krejčí’s fi rst American feature fi lm challenged the successful commercial director to scale new heights Th e story of 13-year-old Paul, who suff ers from a rare disease that causes thick hair lievable. It was a nightmare. Poor about it,” recalls Krejčí, describing Jaeden.” Martell as a “Buddhist monk-slash- to grow all over his face and body, is not the stuff of Marvel comics, director Martin As for his vision, the director ninja-slash-I-don’t-know-what.” Krejčí says of Th e True Adventures of Wolfb oy. In the director’s US-shot debut says, he didn’t want to make an Martell was also challenged to “American movie” just for the sake play a creature with such diff erent rising star actor Jaeden Martell takes on the role of loner teen cursed with congenital of it. What mattered more was the physical limitations to expression hypertrichosis, determined to seek out his missing mother despite long odds. story - “the feeling of loneliness - - such as the powerful scenes in we can all connect with it.” which he communicates more with Aft er Wolfb oy’s budget grew well his eyes than through dialogue. By Veronika Bednářová is like a stigma, he says. “You get phant Man, Wolfb oy “sets the par- beyond the $1-2 million originally “Th at was born out of not being and Will Tizard either big studio movies where adigm and then suddenly turns it envisaged Krejčí admits the pressure able to use my face and my mouth you’re a hired gun - and I kept tell- upside down.” was so tremendous that at times on and my neck the way I wanted to,” Paul has lost hope at fi tting in at ing them that’s not really me - or Martell says the role was no pic- set he “wasn’t very diplomatic.” says the actor. school but he’s determined to get you get just scripts by someone nic. “Every day is three and a half Krejčí confesses he knew from answers, at least. Th e Czech-born who thinks he’s a genius.” In the hours of makeup, or six hours.” Disturbing makeup the start the character would need Krejčí says he was drawn to the Wolfb oy script, by contrast, each Krejčí had two goals, he says: In the four months between to communicate non-verbally so story because it communicates character has their own voice, establishing the style of the fi lm casting and shooting, the studio, he actually made actors wear a ski something universal: loneliness. Krejčí says. “It suddenly sucks you (“Not a fi gure from a horror employing all their best Mar- mask during their audition. Which “I get either such terrible scripts in a little bit.” movie”) and making the wolfb oy vel-worthy techniques, made is why he selected Martell. “His that nobody wants to do them or look “believable and authentic, a complete mockup of Martell to eyes looked like there was some- such weird scripts that nobody Poor Jaeden realistic.” Th e requirement was work from. thing much deeper in them.” • knows how to do them,” says Forging new ground was import- “perfect - not too werewolfy,” he “It did hurt a little bit,” Martell Krejčí. “And that was the case of ant, he adds. “It’s kind of a cliché says. “Th e sweet spot was to make says. He even refused to eat on set The True Adventures of Wolfboy screens Wolfb oy.” - the whole coming of age thing.” him look instinctively cute - but for fear of disturbing the makeup. again tomorrow at 12:30 pm [Small Hall] Being a commercial director But unlike in fi lms such as Ele- not cute like a teddy bear. Still be- “He wouldn’t let anyone know and July 6 at 10 am [Národní dům Cinema]. Dennis Ivanov See you there CEO of Arthouse Traffi c LLC Replay I have a long-lasting relationship with co-producing, Péter Kerekes’ Censor, “He was a shaman who up to this Karlovy Vary. My surname is Ivanov, or met with Darya Zhuk whose Crystal day is still a legendary guru for mod- which means that in Russia, Ukraine or Swan was showing here – now we are ern-day herbalists,” said Holland. This Belarus I don’t really have a surname – working on a project about Femen. It’s al- is her second fi lm about a doctor, which one third of these countries is called ways the same – I am coming without Jan Handrejch Photo: prompted some questions about her Ivanov. But once when I came to Karlovy any plans but I always fi nd a good project interest in directing medicine-inspired Vary to my hotel I was immediately taken or someone I want to work with and be fi lms. Ivan Trojan, who plays the main to a wonderful, massive suite. I was think- friends with. I am on the East of the West character and was one of the panellists, ing: “Wow. It’s not just this festival that jury this year but I would really like to see sees it as a universally relatable motif. has become important to me but I have some fi lms from the Liberated section. It Agniezska Holland goes charlatan . “It has the potential to be a mega fi lm,” become important to the festival!” Then just belongs to this culture. • MB he said. of course it turned out it was a mistake When answering the question of because they took me for some Rus- From the Liberated section, It’s Better to More than reality why Charlatan isn’t documentary, as sian oligarch with the same surname of Be Wealthy and Healthy Than Poor and was at one point intended, Holland said: course. And asked me to leave. Ill screens today at 1 pm [Karlovy Vary Yesterday’s debate at the Czech TV production of Charlatan, her upcoming “Nowadays reality is so trendy. To me You really have time to meet people here. Municipal Theatre], while Let’s All Sing house hosted renowned director Ag- fi lm about Jan Mikulášek, a widely pop- the human imagination is much more Two years ago I found a project I am now Around screens at 9:30 am [Small Hall]. niezska Holland who spoke about the ular 20th century Czech doctor. attractive than reality.” • EH july 4, 2019 festival daily Official selection Official selection “I knew the hardscrabble relatives lands on her door- farming community of Wa- step she begins developing Photo: KVIFF Photo: Keeney, Kansas: It’s the type KVIFF Photo: an outlandish relationship of small American town in with it. Believing the body which a shy teenager can live brings her good fortune, she out her life and end up feel- loses her mind completely. ing anonymous,” she says. Shooting bodies Nostalgia Cinematographer Neil Escape doesn’t come Daza said the audience though. Instead, the beau- should be visually engrossed tiful, no-nonsense Maggie and should “smell” the arrives from the big city corpses. and befriends Iris, taking “We wanted to shoot Ode her under her wing and in black and white but we changing her life. Maggie struggled to come up with has her own weight to carry, a good reason. Aft er aban- Maggie and Iris face small town pressures in To the Stars. of course. She’s gorgeous and It’s just another day at the office for Sonya. doning the idea we decided can have anyone she wants to make it colored mono- but she wants a woman, chromatic but in a more and in this time and place tedious process,” he says. Love, adversely and with an extremely strict Dead serious “Th e color of Ode bordered father this has already led between old wood and a de- to beatings, recriminations composing corpse while Martha Stephens brings and their move from Kansas Set in a funeral home in the lighting and composition City to this much smaller was bare, soft and simple, a story of longing and town. Philippines, Ode to Nothing, complementing the rhythm Th e fi lm is no trip down of Ode’s narrative.” learning to fi ght back memory lane. Th e echoes is a story of solitude Aspect ratio was another of nostalgia are provided issue, inspired by the setting. only to be quickly broken “We shot Ode with a square by Michael Stein like all the other girls but all by bullying, intolerance and by Eliška Havlíčková a lot of roles. She takes care frame to simulate a cof- Iris wants is to be herself and self-suppression. Beneath all of the family, her funeral fi n’s glass window,” Daza In a tiny farming town in get away. Martha Stephens’ these forces pushing back She might seem like an business – not to mention says. From his perspective, 1960s Oklahoma Iris is a shy To the Stars shows Iris’ at- against Iris and Maggie ordinary woman living her debts – while grudg- he adds, the production felt girl whose sense of being tempt at dreaming her way a powerful friendship forms a mundane life.