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Interview with Lucia Siposova (scriptwriter and producer)
How did you come up with the idea of the film?
It was an idea that came up at the very last moment before shooting. I created the group of friends, called by names of animals, who became involved in a criminal case without knowing it. That created some funny "coincidences", helping them to put their lives in order. It just came across my mind... I was joking around - and a friend of mine said, write it down, write it down! So I did.
Then I met the director Juraj Krasnohorsky and we worked on it together over a couple of years.
What message did you want to put across with the film?
My principal message to put across was no matter how odd you are, there is someone who will understand and match you. Another thing for me is that the story doesn't judge anybody and gives everyone a chance to change...
Why the decision of having Badger portrayed by a woman but with a male voice? Was it something you and the director spoke about or was his decision?
Accident. We couldn't find the right actor. So we went to the theatre to see some and we saw the girl - Kristina. She was so good and interesting that we decided to take that risk. And I think it lifted the film to another level. Made a lot of sense to us - and the voice makes it easier for people, I hope.
As a producer and scriptwriter, how do you see Slovak film industry compared to the rest of Europe? (In terms of creativity, acting and support).
I think of Slovak cinema like a baby that needs to grow up - the business was almost dead for about twenty years...
We were part of a strong Czechoslovakian cinema heritage and suddenly we split and there was this brand new tiny country with no tradition. We cannot compare with the rest of Europe; we're actually trying to identify our face. Maybe in another twenty years we can sit and talk about Slovakian cinema. Now it is something we cannot specify...there are some movies coming up and we're grateful for them, but there's no particular signature yet. Anyhow, I know some very talented and brave people who might change it all very soon. I'm very happy that Juraj did Tigers in the City - I think it's a very fresh movie we needed.
Are you working on any filming projects at the moment? Can you tell us something about them?
I'm an actress. It's just happened that I co-produced and co¬-wrote Tigers. Writing is quite addictive, I will continue with it most likely. I do have some plans but it's too early to bring them up, brings bad luck...when it comes, it'll find you.
Having acted in, written and produced films, which is your favorite role in the industry and why?
Well, acting is mostly fun. Writing means freedom to me. And there's also singing that I absolutely love. And producing? I must produce my own creations. I need to have control over it but that's not the part that I really enjoy. I prefer to be an artist.
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