CEEA Talks: Agata Novinski on co-production: “Good thing you didn’t ask”

Agata Novinski is not quite sure if she is the right person to be interviewed. Because her production company -as the name Novinski Music & Film Production gives away- is not exclusively interested in animation. But I do know she is the right person, because “after quite a long time, LIVING LARGE brought me back to producing animation, and made me realise how much I love it. I want to continue doing this!” I interviewed director Kristina Dufková months ago, still being unsure what LIVING LARGE would bring about. Now it’s up to Agata to testify about all the awards and glory they have since been showered with.

Agata Novinski: LIVING LARGE had its premiere at the festival in Annecy, where it won the Prix du Jury Contrechamp, it was screened in Karlovy Vary and Locarno and won awards at Just Film (Estonia), as well as in Poland, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. We received two Czech Lions (national film awards), for Best Animated Film and Best Music. And we were nominated for the European Film Awards, where I had the amazing experience of sitting in the audience among legends like Wim Wenders, Isabella Rossellini, and Juliette Binoche. It was all beyond anything we had imagined. Soon, Kristina and I will present the film in Japan – I’m curious to see how Asian audiences will respond to it. Kristina has already been to Taiwan, where reactions were extremely positive. Interestingly, kids there asked pretty much the same questions as in Europe.

The film tells a story that should be universally heard and understood.

Novinski: For me, the main theme is self-acceptance and self-love – subjects that are more important than ever in today’s complex times. As a mother of a 10-year-old, I want her and her peers to learn to love themselves. Only when we’re capable of self-love can we truly love others. Growing up in a post-socialist country like Czechoslovakia, self-love was seen as something negative. We had to learn it much later, which had a lasting impact on who we are as adults.

In other parts of Europe, I guess the Catholic Church caused a similar effect.

Novinski: It’s all interconnected – especially in Slovakia, where the Catholic faith is extremely strong. LIVING LARGE also addresses other powerful topics, like bullying, obesity, and the relationships between parents and children. That is why our Czech distributor, together with a team of psychologists, prepared a study guide for schools. It’s a tool for teachers, showing how to use the film as a springboard to open discussions about sensitive issues that young people face as they grow up.

How is that study guide conceived?

Novinski: It includes film clips that can spark conversations about Ben’s motivation to lose weight – or about motivation in general. It draws a clear distinction between external and internal motivation. It’s a well-crafted tool created by qualified professionals who found the right tone to speak to young people. A lot of care went into it. In many countries, films are distributed to schools through special screenings – and this film is a perfect fit for that. In times like these, it’s important to talk openly and on equal footing with young audiences – it can really help them.

Did you pick up reactions from the initial author of the book, Mikaël Ollivier?

Novinski: The special screening we organised with him in Paris made Kristina Dufková quite nervous – what if he didn’t like it? Mikaël sat right in front of her. After the screening, he stood up and laughed and cried at the same time – it was very intense. He gave a beautiful compliment to our screenwriter Petr Jarchovský, saying that “the film’s story completes the book.” Mikaël is a very kind person. Together with Kristina, he toured parts of France and spoke with young audiences.

I complimented Kristina on the puppets’ design, but one thing I didn’t dare to ask. Erik, the drummer, is one of my favourites. He looks exactly like Lenny Kravitz’ guitarist. A coincidence?

Novinski: Good thing you didn’t ask! Erik was modeled after Kristina’s own son – that’s why Erik looks the way he does. Lenny Kravitz was never involved.

The sets for LIVING LARGE were partly built in Slovakia. How should I imagine this? A convoy of exceptional transport driving along the motorway to the Czech Republic at night with flashing lights?

Novinski: The sets were built gradually, so transporting them by car – without flashing lights – wasn’t a big deal. The entire stop-motion animation was shot in the Czech Republic, but due to the co-production agreement, we were required to divide the creative components among all the co-producing countries. The director, screenwriter, and DoP were from the Czech Republic. Slovakia contributed by building some of the sets, editing, music, and we handled a large part of the image post-production through a Slovak company. France was in charge of the 2D animation. In Prague, at the shoot, all three countries came together. Animators from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and even one from France worked side by side.

As a Slovak producer, would the Czech Republic always be the first partner to look at for co-production?

Novinski: We share a common history, a similar language, and quite similar production costs. Working with a country like France is more complicated because of higher labour costs – there’s a big difference between what you can achieve for the same budget here. On the other hand, collaborating with a country that has such a different history is very enriching. Especially for a children’s film, it was inspiring to look for common ground so that the story would be understandable not just in our region, but also in western countries.

How did you team up with French co-producer Novanima?

Novinski: For the adaptation of a French book, it was a natural choice to find a co-producer in France. During the pandemic, we pitched the short film Turisti (by Mária Kralovič) online at the Clermont-Ferrand festival. Several companies showed interest, but choosing the right one based only on online meetings felt irrational. I believe personal meetings are essential when choosing a co-producer. In the end, we made an intuitive decision to go with Novanima, and I’m still grateful for that choice. Even though this was the first feature-length animation for all of us, it turned out well. But it wasn’t as easy at the beginning as it might sound, discussing budgets for a big production online, especially as none of us spoke perfect English. At one point, I decided to fly to Paris with Czech co-producer Matěj Chlupáček (Barletta) to meet Marc Faye (Novanima) in person. When Novanima told me they had exactly 30 minutes for us, I panicked. “What? I’m flying from Bratislava to Paris and you’re telling me you only have half an hour?” In the end, we decided to have lunch together, and Matěj and I were amazed – while everything in Slovakia was still closed, in Paris people were sitting outside on terraces, eating and drinking. It was wonderful, so we ordered a glass of wine. The atmosphere instantly relaxed – which marked the beginning of our collaboration.

How was the workflow organised?

Novinski: The workflow between Slovakia and the Czech Republic was very similar. We know each other well enough to understand what to expect from one another. But collaborating with the French company was more complicated. Suddenly, we started receiving various spreadsheets and timelines that didn’t make it seem feasible to meet our deadlines. We got stuck – everyone was trying to adjust the plan to fit the schedule, but nothing was moving forward. In our countries, we often work more spontaneously – people take on multiple roles, and we simply dive into the work. In the end, we found a way to move forward, even if it didn’t fit all perfectly in a spreadsheet. I believe both sides learned a lot from this collaboration.

What about the current production climate in Slovakia?

Novinski: I’m truly happy that animation in Slovakia is thriving. At last year’s Annecy festival, six films were presented that were made with Slovak support, and three of them won awards. Also, for two consecutive years, Slovakia was involved in films that were nominated for the European Film Awards. As for financing, in addition to the grant system, we also have a great tax incentive scheme (cash rebate) with a 33% rate, which can be applied for with a budget as low as €50,000.

What does it need for a film to be a Novinski production?

Novinski: As a producer, I need to deeply understand the project. I’m very grateful that all the productions I’ve worked on so far were beautiful and unique. I also care deeply about the people I collaborate with. Animation is expensive – LIVING LARGE had a budget of over €3 million – so you really need to trust your collaborators. But when you dedicate so much time to a single film (I worked on LIVING LARGE for seven years; Kristina Dufková worked on it for thirteen), it’s important to know that your partners are not only trustworthy but also people you enjoy being around.

Together with Kristina Dufková, you already started up a new film. Will WISH IT! be another 13-years-in-the-making kind of project?

Novinski: Hopefully not! We plan to work with the same partners again. In the Czech Republic, we’ve already secured development and production funding; in Slovakia, we’ve only received development support so far. At the same time, we’re finalizing terms with the French partner. The target audience will be younger than for LIVING LARGE. WISH IT! is a beautiful story about big conscious wishes – and the ones we barely notice – and about how important it is to wish wisely.