Honoring the Great's

Tell me, why is it that you, more than anyone else, deserve this award?

Felix Vanginderhuysen: I can’t say! I started working with children's films in 1978. Over the years, I’ve been involved in several aspects: distribution, education, festivals,... This ‘lifetime achievement award’ probably rewards all those 47 years of combined effort. I never wondered if I even deserve an award, and this is definitely not the reason why I’ve been in this business. I’ve done my job with lots of pleasure and dedication. If others now decide that this justifies receiving an award, I am very grateful, but it was never a goal in itself.
Jo-Anne Blouin: That applies to me too; we didn’t do it for the awards, neither for the glory and certainly not for the money. I suppose it’s all about long-term dedication. This year, FIFEM celebrated its 28th edition. Thirty years ago, Montreal was a wasteland in terms of children’s films. Proving the importance of addressing children with independent, quality films and creating interest in a different type of cinema, was hard work. Living in North America, we only had American titles in distribution. Nowadays, the market is characterised by a much wider offer, both in terms of production and distribution. In fact, we currently see a revival of children's film production in Quebec, based on original stories. The awareness that there is an audience for this kind of cinema is a validation of my dedication and enthusiasm. Everyone knows producer Rock Demers as the father of this movement, but when he got out of the business, there was no one to continue his mission. It was just me, trying to bridge this gap. If you ask director Sophie Farkas Bolla today why she made her film ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF ASHA, she will tell you that she grew up with Rock Demers' films, and now wants to continue that way of filmmaking.

Getting awarded is proof of national and international recognition.

Vanginderhuysen: We both had a strong belief in international cooperation. Me as one of the founders of ECFA, while Jo-Anne for many years has been the driving force behind CIFEJ. This reflects in everything we have been doing. 
Blouin: An important aspect of my professional career was in setting up and facilitating collaborations between festivals. Sharing information can help to make films visible and available, or can lead to eventual co-production. 

The Zlin Film Festival – handing out this award - also represents a significant piece of children's film history.

Vanginderhuysen: My first festival trip in 1979 went to Zlin, back then still named Gottwaldov. Our company was very young, we didn’t yet have our own films to distribute, but a specialized Belgian distributor called Progress Film sent me on a prospecting mission. That was my first encounter with children’s films in general - just like anyone else I simply grew up on Disney movies. Suddenly, a new world opened up for me. Production in Czechoslovakia was huge; in those days, Gottwaldov hosted the National Children's Film Festival, with 12 brand new Czechoslovakian features programmed every year, plus approx. 50 new short films. Many of those films could be considered propaganda - about brave young pioneers on summer camp - but we also brought home many amazing titles. And we met all the great directors: Václav Vorlíček, Vera Plívová-Šimková, Josef Pinkava, Oldřich Lipský, Karel Zeman,...

Your generation is still aware of this legacy, but what should a young generation know about it?

Vanginderhuysen: The fall of the Berlin Wall brought about a big change for production in East Europe. There were no longer 12 new Czech titles to present. We didn’t get to see much of what was produced in those days. I did not return to Zlin until the early 2000s.
Blouin: My main interest in Czech cinema shifted towards animated shorts. The animation industry is still going strong, also in the historically significant Zlín Film Studios. But the situation is different for live action films, especially because traditional Czech fairy tales - often co-produced with Germany - are not very popular abroad. This year FIFEM had a small focus on Czech cinema; we screened TONY, SHELLY AND THE MAGIC LIGHT (Tonda, Slávka a kouzelné svetlo) and a series of shorts. EVEN MICE BELONG IN HEAVEN (I mysi patrí do nebe) made it to the Canadian theatres, and the hockey adventure BIG DREAMS (Deti Nagana) was a big hit in my festival. That makes me hopeful for the future; young Czech film fans will not be left out in the cold.

Did the Czech tradition that you got to know in Zlin somehow have an impact on the children's film landscape in your country?

Blouin: Definitely! Robert Roy, Head of the francophone children’s TV department at a broadcaster called Radio Canada, in the 60s and 70s was the first one to buy films from Central and East European countries, and to connect them to our National Film Board. That’s how part of the Czechoslovak production suddenly became available to us through television. And there was a strong will in Rock Demers to cooperate with Czechoslovakia; for instance through co-producing Břetislav Pojar’s THE FLYING SNEAKER (Motýlí cas). He found inspiration in the way that Czech stories were told.
Vanginderhuysen: Films like THREE NUTS FOR CINDERELLA (Tři oříšky pro Popelku) were among our audience’s favourites. But especially THE LITTLE MOLE (Krtek) became legendary in Belgium. These films have been taken in distribution by several companies, and are still around nowadays for every new generation to come. It was in Gottwaldov that we discovered there were also films made about THE CRICKET (Cvrcek)- that was new for the Belgian market. We often spent an evening in the hotel bar with Zdeněk Miler, and I remember him drawing little moles on beer mats for us to take home.

What's your oldest memory of the festival?

Blouin: I was for the first time invited to Zlin, together with Rock Demers, for the festival’s 50th edition. We arrived a bit late, so the driver took us straight up the hill to the party. I had no idea what to expect. We drove into a forest, and when we arrived, there was this endless row of white tents with barbecues and drinks, as far as the eye could see, and probably 2,000 guests. I stared at Rock in ow and all I could say was: “I will never do something like this”.
Vanginderhuysen: In 1979 we drove with two cars from Belgium to Gottwaldov. It took us two days: one day up to the German border; the next day we had to try to get across that border, which usually took at least five hours. Zlin has always been somehow the ‘Cannes of children’s film festivals’. Back then the heart of the festival was in the Hotel Moskva, with its big ballroom on the first floor. Men had to wear a suit and tie, and ladies were wearing long evening dresses. Every evening, classical dances were performed to the music of a live orchestra. There were two main cinemas, the Velké Kino in front of the hotel, and the Malé Kino on the side, while many festive events took place up on the hill.

Over the years you must have collected many strong festival memories.

Blouin: It’s always about meeting the people. That’s the main reason for going every year to festivals in Zlin and Chemnitz. I remember the festival invited us on one of those trips to a castle, for a dinner and get-together. I noticed a Japanese man that I hadn’t met before. He was buying some kind of trinket, and then turned around and gave it to me: “A gift from a friend. My name is Mitsuo - please call me Mitch - and I’m a businessman.” I replied laughing: “Aren't we all?” I didn't know what a successful entrepreneur he was. That was Mitsuo from the Kineko festival, who became one of my dear friends.
Vanginderhuysen: In the 80s, obviously all films were Czech spoken, and there were no translation facilities. Each of us had a private translator, who was attending every screening together with you. Several times per day, you found yourself in the cinema with a person sitting next to you, whispering all dialogues into your ears. We felt very privileged.

If you could steal something from the Zlin Festival to take home to your festival, what would that be?

Blouin: A few Skoda cars for Felix! Every festival is inspiring and you always take something with you - I wouldn't call it stealing. But there’s a few things that I envy the Zlin Festival for: organising an event in a small city without having to compete with all those other events going on in Montreal, where you have to fight for your place in the spotlight. And I envy the facilities to develop a professional programme. Every year I try to bring producers and filmmakers around one table and develop ideas for co-production. But not many seem to be interested. And the fireworks, of course! I’d love to have fireworks too.

What capacities should future ‘Honoring the Greats Award’ winners have?

Vanginderhuysen: Maybe we should think outside our little community. I would love to see a director awarded who consistently dedicated a career to children's films.
Blouin: Our own Rock Demers Award can be given to a filmmaker, a distributor, a producer, an organisation… as long as there is a dedication towards children’s films. What matters is their long-term commitment and the impact they have made.