THE FILM VERDICT: This is the second time, after 11 Minutes in 2015, that a film of yours has been chosen to represent Poland at the Oscars. Any lessons you learned during the last campaign that you’re applying to this one?
JERZY SKOLIMOWSKI: I didn’t actually take part in the campaign last time, probably because I was in the hospital. My health has deteriorated a lot in recent years I was also unable to attend Cannes this year for health reasons. I only went to the festival on the last day to accept my award. So, I’m getting used to not being personally present for the important moments of my so-called career.
TFV: You had the most memorable acceptance speech in Cannes this year because you thanked all the donkeys that played the main character. When you watch the film, can you tell who’s playing EO in each scene?
JS: I can tell you frame by frame, because sometimes we had multiple donkeys in the same scene. Tako, for example, was the one we used for the walks through the forest and running on the roads, while his partner Hola did all the close-ups. Her mug is very pretty, I would call her “Miss Donkey of the World”. She has those enormous eyes, with a melancholic look. But the audience can’t tell them apart because they’re all the same breed, Sardinian donkeys, and they look the same. Only I, Ewa [Piaskowska, the film’s co-writer and co-producer] and the animal trainers can.
TFV: 11 Minutes was a very ambitious film, with its multilayered plot and visual richness. Was it a conscious decision to do something more stripped-down this time?
JS: Yes, that was certainly the intention. I think we should move past classical storytelling, but maybe 11 Minutes was too formally complicated, it required too much of the audience. That was our first attempt to get away from a conventional narrative, to do something that is not driven by the plot. We overdid it with 11 Minutes, so that was a lesson, which made us accept some corrections and simplifications that led to EO, which is also structurally different from the previous film.
TFV: You finished shooting in March of this year, the premiere was two months later, and the film is currently traveling on the festival circuit and as part of the Awards season. Is it completely finished in your mind, or is this part of the journey to bring it to the screen?
JS: I feel like I’m still working on the film. I really liked shooting it, and I love working with animals, especially donkeys. To be in their company was a pleasure, it felt less like work and more like being with your best friend. They’re friendly and lovely creatures, and their innocent look is so pleasing. I miss them very much; I even dream about donkeys. That means my brain is still working on it. Now we’re in the middle of the American campaign. We did ten days in New York, where EO won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for the best international film, and then two weeks in California. In fact, after this interview is done, I’ll be packing for my return to Poland. I’ll have to do more interviews, screenings and Q&As if the film is shortlisted. I did about two Q&As a day in California, and the audience was very interested. Sessions that were supposed to last 10-15 minutes went on for triple the scheduled duration.
TFV: What’s been the most memorable reaction so far?
JS: It’s all a bit of a blur because the response to the film has been very positive overall. It was a bit of a surprise because I thought the unorthodox storytelling would be a bit difficult to follow and accept. On the contrary, the audience has picked up on some very small details. Generally speaking, they fully understood subjects like the reduction of meat consumption, which came up during every single Q&A. Ewa and I have reduced it by two thirds in the past few years, and half of my crew gave up meat completely during filming. The message is generally well accepted, and I believe people will think twice before ordering another steak. I hope eventually industrial farming will cease to exist and people will stop being so cruel to animals and eating them in such unnecessarily large numbers.
TFV: In between 11 Minutes and EO, you received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival. That kind of recognition is interpreted by some as marking the end of a career. Is EO your way of saying you’re not done yet?
JS: That’s exactly what I said when I accepted the award in Venice, that it’s not the end and I will keep making movies. I don’t think EO will be my last movie, even though so far we don’t have anything planned. If you’ll allow me the joke, our brains are still braying! (laughs)
(Interview conducted by Max Borg)
