Interview - Martina Buchelová, director of Green Line

At the recent edition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the Future Frames programme was introduced. The programme - focusing on the future of European filmmaking - promoted 10 graduating film students from 10 different European film schools, by showing their short films in front of a great audience, the press, and the important members of the industry.

While there Daazo caught up with some of the people taking part in the programme and Cineuropa Shorts will bring you some of these interviews as they discover more about the talented and important filmmakers of tomorrow.

The interviews begin Slovakian director Martina Buchelová who directed the short film Green Line.

How would you describe your short film in one sentence? What does it mean to you?

Picture of an overworked woman, living alone with her son and old father, that struggles with everyday problems until imagination wins over her. Or not?

What’s the first line in the film? What or who are we seeing in the opening scene?

First line is ” Dad?” In the opening scene, an old father is wandering streets at night, little boy (his son) sleeps in his bed, then he goes and covers his mother, that felt asleep making some paperwork. The camera is fragile, like the balance that the family has to keep. Inside of their apartment is somewhat humble, but cozy.

How was the circumstances of the shooting?

It was complicated shooting, like with every student assignment. We had to work very hard to make everything fit. We had very limited budget, so it we had to be very creative with locations. Also, it was quite hard to work with the horse, because it wasn´t trained for filmmaking.
The most interesting part was to find little boy. We found him a few days before shooting, just in time.

Will you keep on making short films in the future, even after graduation?

I like the form of shorts and I am trained in school to make them. I would like to continue making shorts, but also would like to start making features. Hopefully, I will be able to do both.

You can read the full interview - which includes Buchelová's thoughts on the Future Frames programme and the state of short filmmaking in her country - HERE