"Weeds," an animated short film, has been chosen to be showcased at the official selection of La Cinef at the Festival de Cannes. This graduation work is directed by Pola Kazak and produced by MAUR Film and the Film Academy of Miroslav Ondricek in Pisek (Czech Republic). It promises to engage audiences with its visually captivating narrative. "Weeds" has garnered support from the Czech Film Fund and FILMTALENT Zlín Endowment Fund, enabling its journey from inception to world-premiere at La Cinef Festival de Cannes, followed by screenings at Animafest Zagreb (June 3-8) and the Annecy Festival (June 9-15).
The director's vision for "Weeds" transcends the refugee crisis that initially inspired the project. Instead, the film delves into universal themes of fear, the unknown, and the transformative power of embracing change. Through the masterful animation technique of oil painting on glass, Kazak brings to life a world where chaos and order collide, and the human spirit is challenged to find harmony amidst the turmoil.
"The animation technique Pola chose is challenging, but the result is very emotional. When the production slows down for some reason, it's hard to get back to the original animation pace of two seconds of film a day, the equivalent of painting about 16 scenes. But Pola fought it, and just like the main character of the film, eventually found the energy and harmony to conjure something that will give the viewer chills," revealed producer Mária Môťovská from MAUR film.
"Weeds" presents an allegory in which the convergence of chaos and order becomes a battleground for the human condition. Against the backdrop of endless fields overgrown with weeds, a beautiful garden meticulously tended by the Gardener becomes the focal point of an elemental struggle. What begins as an innocent encounter turns into a fight for survival and an attempt to preserve the existing world at any cost.
"I conceived the film as an animated myth about chaos trying to break into the ordered and logical world of man and about the fact that the main danger is precisely this fear and overly impulsive actions resulting from it. The arrival of a new experience does not always mean disaster. There is no need always to defend it at all costs. The endless mixing of foreign-new and familiar-old is ultimately the only thing that can enrich and strengthen us," added the director.