Eva Cvijanovic: The Frederator Interview
Montreal-based director Eva Cvijanović flipped the old story. Adults encouraged her to become an artist; she poo-pooed the notion for years. Good thing she came around, as her films are magic: innocent with edge; light-heartedly nostalgic; Eva crafts well-worn worlds that keep humming along, unperturbed, long past the credits. Born in Sarajevo, her adaptation of one of the former Yugoslavia’s most beloved tales, “Hedgehog’s Home” by Branko Ćopić, dazzled Berlin Film Festival 2017 goers and scooped up 34 awards worldwide. Check out “Seasick” above, then read on for Eva’s take on new techniques, today’s TV, and giving your seat to elderly people on public transit.
What was your inspiration for “Seasick”?
The Canadian winter. It started as doodles on a train ride. Trains are my favorite mode of transportation. There’s something about that tracking view of the world that stimulates my brain. It was November, winter was coming, and I doodled this fat little creature frolicking around on the shore.
Canada has really good funding for the arts, especially compared to the rest of the world. When I scanned the doodles I realized that together, they read like a storyboard. Half the work was done so I thought, “Why not apply for a grant?” I got one - the NFB helped me with post-production services, which are quite expensive. That’s usually how I work: I put myself in a situation where I have to make the film. Once you get grant money, you have to deliver!
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a doctor. I was sick a lot and loved playing doctor to my toys. I always enjoyed drawing. Grown-ups around me would be like, “Oh, you should be an artist!” But I never really liked that idea. So it’s funny that I did end up drawing for a living.
Why didn’t you like the idea of being an artist?
I think I felt like it would be a lot of pressure, or too stressful. And it is pressure, it is stressful! It’s not a straightforward job. But it has very satisfying and magical moments. They make up for the difficulty. I still don’t really consider myself an artist. I just like to make movies.
When did filmmaking become your goal?
My dad was involved in the film industry in Sarajevo when we were lived there. He was a film critic. Right before the war he actually started his own production company. So I was always around that world - I did foley for a film when I was like 5. But it was in Montreal during cegep, the 2 year period between high school and university, that I began really playing with animation. That was when the idea of making films, telling stories that way, really caught my interest.
Where’d you study animation?
Concordia University. It’s an interesting program because as a BFA, it’s really more oriented toward the art world. You take history courses on film and art, get a nice background. It’s not just a technical program; it situates you in the world.
Crucial context! After graduating did you go right to work at the NFB?
Not quite. I did a mix of contract work and cafe jobs. I interned on a film that the NFB produced called Higglety Pigglety Pop, based on a story by Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are). I worked on that for quite a while, alongside other freelance things - I got a tiny grant to make a film of my own. The first big thing I did with the NFB was called Hothouse. It’s a mentorship program, sort of their incubator. I graduated in 2008 and got into Hothouse in 2011. Then I was able to focus just on animation.
What does the Hothouse program involve?
They pick 6 animators and give them each 3 months to make a 1 minute film start to finish. I made “The Kiss”. Of the 6, I was the only one who worked onsite at the NFB. It made such a difference to be in the building, get to know people personally. You know, have lunch with Oscar winners?! It was really wonderful. Pretty intense, but then it is a crash course in how the NFB makes films. I stuck around to help on other people’s films after. Then the editor on my Hothouse film, Jelena Popovic, became a producer. She’s Bosnian like me; we had similar upbringings. She ended up producing “Hedgehog’s Home”.
How did the idea to adapt Hedgehog’s Home form between you guys?
Every child in former Yugoslavia reads Branko Ćopić’s poem when they’re little. It’s taught in the 1st grade. Almost jokingly, I was like, “Hey, what if we did this?” Over time, I ended up writing a script. I sent it to her and she really liked it, so we bounced back and forth on it and then… it happened.
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