Interview with the Ecumenical Jury: “Quality and variation, and sometimes something special”

Spiritual values might be their trademark, but no no jury this week was as keen as asking loads of young actors out on a date than the Ecumenical Jury. We’ll have to consider hiring an extra big party room, especially for Gundi Doppelhammer (Culture scientist - Germany), Théo Péporté (Communications & Press - Luxembourg) and Ida Tenglerova (Protestant Minister - Czech Republic).

Let’s find out how good you got to know each other this week. Which one of you has been drinking the most?

Ida Tenglerova: Not me.

Gundi Doppelhammer: Not me either.

Théo Péporté: So who is left…?

 

Which one has been talking the most?

Gundi: That was clearly my colleague Ida.

Ida: I think it was Gundi.

Theo: This time I’m out.

 

Who has been falling asleep during screenings?

Gundi: Nobody of course.

Ida: I admit that once I was very tired, right after lunch - the most difficult moment - and even if the movie was really interesting, it might have happened for no longer than 3 seconds.

 

Confessing might be a typical thing for the Ecumenical Jury; thank you for your honesty.

Gundi: This jury concentrates on the spiritual level of cinema, and therefore truth is one of our important pillars.

 

Imagine you were running a festival… What would you steal from the Zlin Festival and take home with you to use it in your own festival?

Gundi: I told my colleagues in the beginning: everything is done so well here, we just have to observe how they do it and then copy it. For me it was mainly about the city’s special atmosphere and the mixed audiences in every cinema.

Théo: The huge amount of children taking part in the city’s lively animation. That was great.

Ida: The high quality of the movies in our competition.

 

The picture is complete: a city, children and movies… Great, we have a festival! Any other impressions about the city of Zlin?

Gundi: This morning I walked around for the first time. The market square looked so vivid and full of people. In the park I found an installation that informed me about Zlin. 

Théo: I was mainly impressed by the welcome we got from the festival people. It was marvellous, I liked it very much.

 

The one word connected to this city is ‘shoes’. What can you say about your relationship with shoes?

Gundi: I love to have them, to have good quality and variation, and sometimes something special. On my walk, I was wearing these special shoes: white, but painted artistically.

Ida: I like interesting designs and colourful shoes. 

Théo: For me it has nothing to do with design; they should simply feel comfortable. And once I find shoes that feel comfortable I’ll buy myself a second pair. 

 

Did I ever ask this question to the Ecumenical Jury before? Which of the mature characters you saw on screen this week would you like to get to know better and maybe even ask out on a date?

Gundi: Only one? I’ve seen so many interesting young characters; I was really impressed. I’ll invite on my date a boy called Jamie, a 14-year-old character from the American film BIG BOYS. And maybe the director as well, if possible.

Théo: Since actors and actresses play a role, I therefore don’t know who they really are. I will date none of them.

Ida: I would be interested to meet many of them; I go for Muura from SWEET AS.

 

We’ll see if we can organise something… Zlin for many years had a tradition of putting one country in focus. Which country would you recommend? 

Théo: I’d be tempted to say Luxembourg, but because this is a children’s film festival, the Czech Republic is very important for me. I like the tradition of Czech films - both animation and live action - for children and young people. In my personal biography, they play an important role.

Gundi: For me it would be all African countries. So many strong, young people there are developing new activities, new artforms, and still we don’t get to see their work in cinemas. 

 

I have a challenging question for you. Can all of you introduce one other jury member in one sentence.

Gundi:: Théo is from Luxembourg and in our association SIGNIS he is a communication master. 

Théo: I didn’t know Ida before, but I was very curious to meet her. It is always interesting to have a person from the hosting country with you, and I got to know Ida as a person with a deep spirituality, which is something I like very much.

Ida: Gundi has a great sense of humour; therefore I enjoy her company a lot. She has an interesting opinion about every movie we see and about the problems in our society nowadays.

 

What is the last film you’ve seen that made you laugh or cry out loud?

Théo: THE QUIET GIRL was for me the best film of 2022. It was more about the crying than about the laughing.

Gundi: After having seen SEA SPARKLE, I didn’t come out very sad. It felt like this film gave you the permission to cry, and then feel better afterwards.

Ida: The movies in our selection awoke very deep emotions in me and took me into their world, for which I am very grateful.

 

Could you imagine yourself having a parallel career?

Gundi: In my former life I was a psychologist and for a long time I had a hospice in Germany. But in my future life, I’d like to be a chocolatier.

Ida: My alternative career would be in the arts.

 

Do you have a favourite character in film history?

Théo: Orson Welles for me will always be one of the strongest personalities. I appreciated his movies very much. If I could choose one role to play, it would be in CITIZEN KANE: “Rosebud!”

Gundi: I loved FRIED GREEN TOMATOES so much; that film is both humorous and sad.

Ida: I am not sure if this one rings a bell, but my favourite would be ‘the little witch’ from the Czech cartoons, co-produced with Germany in the eighties.

 

Which topic would you like to see addressed in young audience cinema today?

Gundi: Our mixed society; in Germany we have so many ethnicities. This could be made more visual in cinema.

Théo: I love British social dramas, and those social questions to me seem to be more important than ever before. 

Ida: In this week’s movies many social topics were addressed, but the one that touched me most was in SCRAPPER. The film told about people searching for a hold to cling on to, that in this world is no longer provided by families. In changing family structures, children and adults have to find their new roles.