Pat and Mat were naked

The two young lead actors of YOUNG HEARTS (Belgium) are probably the nicest guests of this edition. These fine ambassadors of my home country create a lively dynamic in the studio. They speak very highly of the safe and friendly atmosphere on set. A lovely credit for a film in which a lot was asked of them. The result is fantastic: 10 festival entries = 10 awards, and in Zlin, too, I hear rave reviews. Even Dennis Ruh, the most imperturbable of all jury members, raises one eyebrow. You won't see him much more emotional than that.

You'll find it almost impossible to make me cry in a movie, but I admit I was quite moved by YOUNG HEARTS.

Lou Thompson knows how to shake her hair loose. In ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN (Canada), those hairs are tied together in a strict bun the whole time. She plays a girl growing up in a strict religious community; throughout the film, the degree of freedom for her hair symbolises the freedom of her character... not much, that is. Someone describes the colour as 'champagne'; others spoke of 'a cornfield under the sun'.

Both my parents have hair like this,

she claims.

Are they brother and sister?

I want to know. You never know with those religious communities!? The funniest quote of the week comes from another Canadian as far as I'm concerned, when Oscar Desgagnés (COCO FARM) explains what it was like to act with 300 chickens.

For every take, I had to put the chicken in the right position.

The number of inappropriate comments I could now jot down is almost endless.

I quickly pop into 'the castle' where workshops are taking place for kids. One workshop is given by Zuzka, one of the very finest people in the Zlin entourage and - by extension - on the entire planet. She once made a drawing for my birthday, which still hangs proudly above my desk. She is working on a career in ‘sound recording & editing’ and in Zlin she assists kids doing live 'foley' (sound effects or bruitage) to a film scene. I resolve to just observe, but a few moments later I am already using a thumb piano to imitate the sound of sprouting flowers - indeed! Next to me, (mostly) mothers and children do their best to recreate the sounds of wind, footsteps in the snow and a galloping horse through the use of brushes, gravel, branches and coconuts. A big branch with seed pods lies outside at the door.

We originally used those for the foley too, but because of my allergy, I had to sneeze all the time.

Maybe I will see her in Japan soon. Mitsu offered her a chance to complete her training during the Kineko festival in Tokyo.

Me getting lost in the castle results in a bewildering image. I see Pat & Mat... naked! Behind the stairs, the big mascot puppets go to change clothes. This unexpected encounter with two naked children's television icons is burned on my retina for a long time.

Meanwhile, international colleagues arrive one by one. Mitsu has by far the largest delegation and there are always new faces among them, so the stack of business cards keeps growing. Nora is an endless source of chaos and laughter, but when I pair her with Zosia, in no time they are discussing opportunities for collaboration. Nora has developed an interesting pitch concept in Budapest (teenagers are supported in creating content for their own age group) that she would like to export. I rejoin the conversation only when it switches to the topic of parenthood. Zosia has a toddler at home who only wants to fall asleep to the sound of Metallica!

Also my life in Zlin is directed by sleeping habits, or rather... the lack of them. After everyone has gone to sleep, I prepare the interviews for the next morning. My days here have a rhythm of their own. I often rush to the supermarket for sandwiches with 'Balkan sausages', always causing problems at the self-scanning counter. After a few days, the shop assistant recognises me and spontaneously comes to the rescue. Such things make you feel settled in a city far from home. Just like the waitress from the café waving at me from afar. What could this possibly say about the status I have achieved in my life?