Interview: Noemi Valentíny

“I like stories and  narrative lapses.”

Noemi Valentíny is a young, distinctive, and very talented director, artist, animator, illustrator, and musician. Anifilm approached her this year to create the visual identity for the festival. You can read how she got into animation, what it was like to study at the Tomas Bata University in Zlín, and what it was like working with Anifilm in the following interview.

When did you decide that animation was the right thing for you and that you wanted to pursue it professionally?

I think it was sometime in grammar school when I was about seventeen. I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I wasn’t very good at chemistry. I liked drawing and writing though, and when I found out that you could study animation, it seemed to me like a good combination of the two disciplines, and I thought I’d give it a shot. 

Besides animation, you are also involved in illustration and music. You also work on your own films as a sound designer or a music composer, and you play in the band Ďyvina. So, you use visual and audio forms in quite a synergistic way – do you like any of them more than the other ones? And when you get an idea for your next film, which component do you think of first? 

I usually create with or to music. Even to prepare my answers for this interview, I had to put something on. Music helps me a lot – it teases my imagination, sets the mood, helps me focus. I find music in itself to be an incredible thing, something ancient that resonates with our human nature and innermost principles. But I can’t say if I enjoy the world of sound more than visual forms or the other way round. I like stories. 

You have a degree in animation from the Tomas Bata University in Zlín, where a number of remarkable short animated films have been created – not exclusively, but particularly films for children (which is also reflected in some of your films). What did you take away from the university? Is animation for children something that you would like to continue creating? 

I came to Zlín from a grammar school, so I had had little creative direction, and I didn’t really know what I was doing. It wasn’t until I was in university that someone started seriously discussing my work with me. At the same time, I felt that the teachers there did their best to respect students as individuals and motivate us to do our own things, rather than to try to change us to fit in some mould. I cannot help but remember (with a tear in my eye and a smile on my lips) the recently deceased Mr. Hejcman, who was an incredible source of motivation for many of us students. I still draw on his advice to this day. Even though I’ve been out of school for a while now, at least once a week, I get a rush of this feeling of great gratitude for all that my teachers have taught me and how I have improved under their guidance. I also found a lot of friends at the university. I work with many of them, and I can always get advice from them. We also inspire and support each other in our work, and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without them.

The second part of the question was about animation for children. I started focusing on kids while studying for my master’s degree. At that time, I intended it as a bit of a challenge to make myself step out of my comfort zone, because the films I had made up to that point were meant for older audiences. At the moment, I continue making films for children and I don’t expect it to change in the foreseeable future, given that most commercial animation is intended for kids. 

The films that you have made so far – The Seagull, Raven Mother, and Wolf Trail –feature animal motifs and they are also to some degree clearly inspired by folklore (this source of inspiration is, after all, noticeable in your music as well). What are your favourite folk stories and what about them appeals to you? 

What I like about folk stories is their rawness, honesty, dense symbolism, and the fact that they do not romanticize nature. These stories are often scary and brutal. I also quite enjoy the weird narrative lapses that you encounter in folktales and fairy tales of various peoples (e.g. Romany tales excel in this). Folk tales also often contain a strong aspect of animism and a connection to the cruel, unforgiving nature and world around us as well as themes of death, rebirth, etc. Anyway, I’m no expert on folklore. I see it more as a source of inspiration and a means of expression that I apply in my own postmodern approach. 

I heard that you are currently working on another short film, which will be about epilepsy. Could you tell us something about this project? 

Happy Epi is a road movie about my friend Hanka’s first trip abroad, which she took with just a few friends and without her parents. Hanka has many diagnoses that make her life hard for her, including epilepsy. Firstly, the film is meant to show that you can “travel rough” even if you have some handicap (you just mustn’t be afraid and accept the fact that you might get into some unpleasant situations), and secondly, it is meant to introduce the viewers a little bit to what it’s like to live with epilepsy. I am working on the film with producer Bára Příkaská from Bionaut. It’s quite funny that when I first approached her with the idea, we found out that she also knew Hanka – through the volunteer association Ramus. The association works as a platform that allows people with and without disabilities to meet and actively use their free time. 

You work at Pirogy Studios, could you describe what the studio does and what is your role there? What projects are you currently working on? 

I started Pirogy Studios with a couple of friends from the Tomas Bata University – Matej Šak, Sofiya Gorokh, Miriam Trnavská, and Filip Diviak. We are currently working on several commissions for other production companies. For example, we are currently working on environments for Krutart for their fulldome film, collaborating with Bionaut, co-producing Filip Diviak's upcoming feature film with the working title Otis with MAUR film, and we are also gradually trying to support local filmmakers in terms of film production. In addition, we occasionally get a commission. We are also developing our own children’s series about the adventures of a little pebble named Pierre, which we want to pitch in North America with the help of our investors.

I have several roles at the studio and work on multiple different projects. I work as an art director, a writer, and more recently, I’ve been trying to focus on producing and executive producing, which I quite enjoy. 

You are the author of this year’s visual identity of the festival – how did you get to work on it? Did the festival approach you? What do you think about the theme of this year's Anifilm? 

Anifilm approached me as part of this little selection process. For a long time, I couldn't think of anything for this year’s theme of marionettes, but eventually (also thanks to the feedback from the festival team) it somehow came together. I find the theme itself interesting and I’m eager to see what new things I get to learn and what old things I get to refresh.  

Do you remember the first time you visited Anifilm? 

Back when it was still held in Třeboň. Blurry but beautiful memories. 

What did you find the most challenging about creating the visual identity and what did you enjoy or like the most? 

The most challenging part was planning a schedule for all the work, especially in the last weeks before the festival. And I was pleased when sometime at the beginning of the process, I was asked if the visual identity could be closer in style to the film I made for my bachelor’s degree – Raven Mother. At first, the idea of going back to a decade-old art style worried me, but then I took it as a challenge and another step out of my comfort zone. Because, as is the case with many other artists, my inner critic won't let me enjoy what I create. I see flaws and imperfections in everything. So going back to something from the past, extracting what was good about it, and combining it with what I know and can do now was a very interesting process. But all things considered, I'm glad that I had this opportunity.