She is currently embarking on her 11th season as the Head of FAMU’s Department of Animated film. Thriving under her leadership, the Department has raised authors who, much like Michaela Pavlátová, are getting a taste of international recognition. What does she consider to be her greatest achievement, what is her primary pursuit as a teacher, and what is she learning from her students?
You have been helming the Department of Animated Film since 2015. Looking back at the 10 seasons, has it changed radically from when you first started out?
It’s quite different, even though the initial situation was not overly difficult for me. I did not make any revolution in terms of the Department’s set-up; that has remained the same simply because it works well. I would describe what I have done as tune-ups and adjustments. What I perceived as highly acute was the need to bring a spirit of community and joy to the Department; to make sure students are happy going to school, free them of their urge to take work home with them, and ensure they enjoy meeting others in school, both schoolmates and teachers. A sense of community and commitment to creating are vital for studying. That was the one thing.
What was the other?
The Department was quite prolific and produced good films, but this was not widely known. I thought that was a pity. This is why we launched Deus ex anima, regular showcases at Kino Aero where we present our output for each academic year. The screenings are quite popular and the numbers of visitors have been excellent. We are simply making sure the world knows we’re there. This is also why I concluded that working with the Producing Department was the key. It is not just about raising the funds for a film and setting the train in motion, which is something the school helps with quite a lot. It is also about letting the film live its own life afterwards and nurturing it. I tried to make the Producing Department realise that animated film can be attractive. It worked. There have been some remarkable collaborations such as producer Karolína Davidová teaming up with director Diana Cam Van Nguen. Having a dedicated producing partner is a big win for an animated film maker, and at the same time the producer is not confined to working on that one project and unable to do anything else. Animated films take a long time to make, and there is time for other projects along the way. It was about getting this point across: taking animated films on board is worthwhile. The cooperation works really well.
You have international teaching experience, having lectured at Harvard and CCAC in San Francisco. Did you try to apply some of that experience at FAMU?
I did a lot of comparing at the beginning, and it reassured me that FAMU’s set-up is actually very good. I also tried to draw inspiration for what to add, improve and streamline. I keep thinking about it all the time, which is why, for example, we have added subjects on feature films and TV series to our master’s programmes. We did a pilot run for one year and will fine tune them. I keep saying “we” because that’s the way I perceive it. A great deal of the work is attributable to my deputy Ondřej Javora, Department Secretary Lenka Řápková and Professor Jiří Kubíček. This is the core team. We keep improving what we have without drastically changing things because they work. If I were to say what my biggest achievement has been, it would be discovering Ondřej Javora for us. He studied with us, then he started teaching at our Department, and he’s an excellent and very dedicated teacher.
There are several schools in Czechia that focus on animated film – in addition to FAMU, there is also UMPRUM, FAMO in Písek, then Plzeň and Zlín…
…and each of them is different. It’s good to foster such diversity. The approach at UMPRUM is largely visual arts-oriented and experimental. It’s more about play. Our approach is more about work. Our students practice by making an animated short film and have to find a way to convey their message to the viewers. It’s not an installation that floats freely in time, an advert or a video clip. It’s narration that employs image and animation. There are various animation disciplines after all. My colleague Ondřej Javora came up with the idea for Aniklání (AniTournament), an event during which animation students from all the schools mentioned present their projects within the space of two days. They are also involved in organising the event, which is one of the reasons why they enjoy it so much. Generally speaking, students are given more opportunities to take things in their own hands. This is quite useful considering what they will have to tackle in their own professional careers.
Being able to explain the intention behind one’s artistic endeavours may be one of the most important skills for budding filmmakers to succeed in real life.
Exactly! This is why there are presentations going on all the time. Pitching is crucial. Each author must clarify what it is they do and present it to others comprehensibly. FAMU as a whole is quite active this way. There is a lot going on across the school and not everyone gets to see the final commissions, for example, so a system was put in place where everyone gets to present their projects to everyone else over the course of three morning blocks. Everyone has a 10-minute slot to do it, and all the students get to know what’s going on. I was surprised to see how many films are made across the Departments including scriptwriting, editing and cinematography. You can also find coworkers this way. For example, a scriptwriting student took interest in an animation student’s presentation, and they agreed to work together. I find this immensely beneficial. This way, students are prepared well when they get to pitch their projects and seek funding in the real world.
How would you describe an animated film maker’s job? Laypeople might assume that you just draw pictures or play with puppets.
That would be lovely. In reality, your brain keeps revving all the time on this job. Of course, all branches of cinema are demanding, but you truly never get a breather in animation; your brain just keeps working. The author is often the director, graphic designer, and story and script writer all rolled into one. They must master operating a camera, acting, designing costumes, sound effects and editing… It is a highly complex work requiring a wide range of knowledge and skills. I call it ‘decathlon’.
Five students are admitted to the Department of Animated Film every year. Then there are the other animation schools mentioned. Do all the alumni and alumnae find jobs in the field after graduation?
Not all of them pursue career paths as film authors. First, not everyone desires to, and second, making it isn’t easy at all. Miracles such as Daria Kashcheeva happen, though. If a student wins an award at a festival, they also receive a financial reward, which gives them some footing that allows them to focus on their own projects. This happens to like one out of 50, however. With that said, animated film is a team effort and the author needs help from many colleagues. We are talking years of hard work, especially with full-length films, and it’s great having someone who can do it for you. Hence, our Department strives to ensure that our students are flexible as animators, master their trade and are capable of joining other authors’ projects. The quantity of animated films being made is growing, so the opportunities are there.
What is the current generation of students like?
They treat each other really nicely and show a great deal of solidarity; I think we used to be more competitive. As a result, when they consult one another on their work, they do not want to be overly critical. I think they don’t need us – as in the older and experienced ones – as much as the previous generations did. If there is anything they need to know, they will find out. Thus, rather than knowledge, we should share our experience and offer a different point of view. I am glad to note that there is a certain amount of self-doubt along with their self-confidence because this is something artists can’t do without. I get to learn a lot from them, such as that you should be respectful of yourself and maybe avoid working round the clock. This was normal with our generation but it’s not good. I admire their tolerance towards all things different; we didn’t have this sorted out nearly as well in our day. Thanks to them, I learn to be more open and tolerant, and also to be aware of vulnerability. And to not take things too personally.
Female students have outnumbered male students at the Department in recent years. Is this coincidence, or are women simply better suited for this job?
You can see this in festivals; women currently prevail in animated film, though they do not prevail among the prize winners – that ratio is about even. Our Department admits five students every year. For a long time, the most common ratio was three male to two female students – and it wasn’t planned that way. There are markedly more girls than boys among our applicants currently; boys tend to prefer computer games and 3D. When we opened our first all-girl class, we were concerned it might not work, but it was actually one of the best classes I have ever encountered. There just happened to be incredibly interesting personalities and authors and, most importantly, it was a women’s class, not a girls’ class.
Did women bring in decidedly female topics?
If I were to mention female topics, women increasingly focus inwards, on intimacy, and care about the details more. To be fair, though, there has been a deluge of film intimacy in recent years; there is likely nothing about menstruation that hasn’t been filmed yet. Girls can tackle powerful and bold topics, for sure. What I’m trying to say is that the gender mix of a class doesn’t really matter that much. Us animated film makers are special in that we must master multiple professions while also being able to understand the worlds of men, women, and animals. We work with all of that. If I were to simplify it, the people who want to study directing feature films tend to be dominant personalities because the director needs to be respected by others and have authority. By contrast, animation requires an ability to work within a small team in a way that is focused, tightly interwoven and complex.
Daria Kashcheeva who won the Student Academy Award with Daughter was a member of that first all-female class.
She was an extraordinary student. She had completed one school before, came from a foreign country, and had more life experience. I notice that people who come from elsewhere are hardened, have a more powerful drive, do not get distracted easily e.g. by visiting grandmas, and dedicate more time to work. Daria was evolving slowly and modestly, yet also diligently and systematically, which deservedly earned her the Student Oscar and the Academy Award nomination. Effectively, she made others realise that they can do it too. Daria set the bar very high, and many students want to outperform her even when they are making ‘only’ a semester exercise. Excessive ambition is their undoing. Every achievement such as this is a great motivation for students, encouraging them to keep on working and also paving their way to future projects. Recognition is important, but not everyone is necessarily destined to achieve it. You cannot make films with success in mind. You just get to work, try things and maybe make mistakes, and this is perfectly in order.
You were nominated for an Academy Award with your film Words, Words, Words and won multiple festival awards. Do awards motivate or handcuff you?
I prefer going to festivals as a juror rather than competing as a filmmaker. I want to avoid not winning an award. Awards give you satisfaction. If you get used to it, the habit can be tough to kick, especially if you begin collecting awards early on. Words, Words, Words was nominated for an Oscar; Repete won an award at the Berlinale; and then my next film was not even selected for the Annecy festival… It’s tough to accept that the film wasn’t necessarily worse – maybe just competition was tougher that year because more and more films are being made all the time. Not winning an award is normal, but earning appreciation early in one’s career is very important. Working on an animated film is exhausting, and getting recognition can help young authors stay true to animation.
Increasingly more full-length animated films are made in our country and across the globe. You took quite a long time to embark on a full-length project. Why?
I actually decided to go for it at age 55. I used to say I didn’t want to make a full-length because full-length animated films were automatically seen as intended for children. This is not what my heart desires; I’m incapable of thinking that way. Things have changed, however; there are increasingly more full-length animated films being made for adult audiences. A full-length may take as long as five to seven years to make. You cannot allow it to be a total flop. If a short fails, it’s not such a big deal, but with a full-length, you most definitely want to avoid missteps.
The model for your latest film, My Sunny Maad – which was also your first full-length – was Petra Procházková’s book Frišta. How do you single out a topic with which you want to spend as much time as seven years working on a film?
The crucial point is that the topic must also be interesting for others besides me. Producers can tell if a story has any potential. I can tell if I like it. I liked the realistic situations in the book because I love animating characters like actors, only using different means of expression. I love the painstaking work; it’s like making a Persian rug. You add these tiny knots, it takes time, but it slowly takes shape, and finally the pattern emerges. When all is said and done, though, I was still surprised how much the film came alive and was actually successful.
My Sunny Maad won the prestigious César Award for the Best French Animated Feature Film. The nominees included Little Nicolas: Happy as Can Be, which means you beat one of France’s cultural icons…
… but I went there believing it was impossible for Little Nicolas to not win an award. I mean, I wasn’t even nervous about my dress being presentable enough! I was once given an aisle seat during a Czech Lions Award ceremony, and I thought: ‘Oh, there’s no need to show so ostensibly who is winning an award.’ Then I won nothing, and rightly so. Slaps like this are very useful for living. By contrast, I never expected to win the César – my jaw literally dropped to the floor! It was amazing and completely unexpected. Of course, things such as this also add extra points that can help you in the making of your next film.
Your next full-length is currently at the final stage of development. It is your own authorial work this time. How did the script take shape?
It was hard work. I was convinced I would adapt someone else’s story again. You know, as in, I can write a lot of short films but not a full-length. I wanted to make The Goddesses of Žítková, but that didn’t happen for various reasons. One of them was that producer Petr Oukropec kept talking me into making something of my own. I listened because I knew his intentions were good. After all, Negativ is a production team that appreciates what I am capable of. In turn, I appreciate that. Eventually, we agreed that the tram driver was still around (ed. note – the heroine of the 2012 Tram short) and that she definitely deserved an hour and a half. And that she could carry the film too. Thus emerged the idea of making a funny film about ageing.
Is the tram driver who had wild erotic fantasies in the short film getting old?
Yes. The tram driver is ageing with me. She no longer obsesses about her sexual fantasies – she has utterly different things to worry about. I’m a bit afraid that most people will expect something sharply witty, like rebellion against old age, but I’m not that kind of person. Deep inside, I’m quite a conformist and not as wild as some of my films are. I dye my hair and I actually still want to look young and attractive. So, the theme is accepting old age, which apparently is my own topic. I know there are many women, especially in the art world, who do not obsess about ageing, but this was a new role for me. At any rate, some irony and perspective should be in it too.
When are you at your happiest as an author? Is it when your work is done?
Not at all – I get sad when it’s finished. I feel the greatest satisfaction while putting the pieces of the film together, and when they fall into place and it all works. I find the meticulous everyday work supremely satisfying.
Author: Darina Křivánková
Photo: archiv M. Pavlátová
23. October 2025
