Matúš, why did you select this particular topic for your debut? And why did you, Peter, decide to produce it?

MV: It was a gradual selection. In the beginning there was an idea to plant the reason behind pandas’ lax attitude towards life. Gradually, as I was developing the story, I started inserting subjects, which more-or-less fit the original idea and at the same time extend the outreach. It is fascinating to seek the consequences of evolution principles in every part of life,; I like presenting human activities in a satirical way, and find it relaxing.

PB: It is harder to be an animator in comparison to other filmmakers and my main ambition was to help Matúš with the production issues of the film, e.g. financing, distribution strategy, so he would have more time to focus on the creative part of the project. Of course, the story reached out to me, because I like films that are a bit provocative and carry a message.

How did the production process run?

MV: Without an animatic. We drew it with a tablet, coloured it in a PC, stuck deadlines and motivation mottos on the wall with post-it notes.

PB: It took more time than I anticipated, but I think it didn’t hurt the film, on the contrary – participation at prestigious festivals and positive reactions of the audiences confirm it was right.

What does participation in Cinéfondation mean to you?

MV: So far, mostly curiosity and a lot of motivation. It also means I am trying to make it clearer for myself, what I want to do next. Definitely it means greater attention for the film.

PB: It certainly is drawing attention to Slovak animated production, which is still considered high-class and is awarded world-wide, even if there isn’t much relevant attention to it in Slovakia, neither from the television decision makers, nor the Slovak Audiovisual Fund.

What are your upcoming projects?

MV: There are several topics I would like to devote myself to and several art themes stuck in my head. I’m trying to connect them and I’m searching for the one, which would inspire me the most. I want to do films now and I want to honestly dive into the topic I’ll select.

PB: Besides other projects, I’m working on a new animation film with Daniela Krajčová and we would also like to start producing an omnibus film based on the fairy tales by Dobšinský (note: Slovak writer and collector of fairy tales), which we are still developing – hopefully, we’ll get to it by the end of the year.