Film Fest Ghent celebrates Viktor Kubal’s centenary

The 50th Film Fest Ghent (10 – 21 October 2023) will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Viktor Kubal, the father of Slovak animated film. An American composer of electroacoustic music Claire Rousay provides Kubal's The Bloody Lady with an all-new live soundtrack.

The evening kicks off with Kubal's short films The Idol (1989) and Cinema (1977), each with a new soundtrack provided by the Ghent Advanced Master Ensemble (GAME). Consequently, an American composer of electroacoustic music Claire Rousay provides a live soundtrack for the feature length animated film The Bloody Lady (1980).

Viktor Kubal (1923 – 1997) is considered the father of Slovak animated film, his Brigand Jurko (1976) is the very first Slovak feature length animated film ever made. Kubal is known for his minimalist drawing and narration style, with which he achieves maximum effect.

In The Bloody Lady, his pseudo-historical horror-dramedy about Elisabeth Bathory, Kubal communicates not with dialogues – The Bloody Lady is, apart from a brief intro, a silent film – but through minimalist images and the music of Juraj Lexmann. Kubal intersperses his Disney parody with wry humor and anachronistic jokes.

Rastislav Steranka, Director of the National Cinematographic Centre of the Slovak Film Institute, will open the evening with a short introduction about Viktor Kubal and his work on Friday 13th of October at 20:00.

For more information about the event: https://www.filmfestival.be/en/events/claire-rousay-x-the-bloody-lady

published: 10.10.2023
updated: 10.10.2023