The film Overture by Jakub Hronský, a student of the Studio of Animation and Film at UMPRUM, has been selected for the official selection of the international animated film festival Animafest Zagreb. Over 1000 entries were submitted for the student category, which included Jakub's film, and the jury selected 40 of them.
Animafest Zagreb is one of the world's most important animation film festivals. It is the second oldest animation festival in the world (founded in 1972), after the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Together with Annecy (France), Ottawa (Canada) and Hiroshima (Japan) it forms one of the main events in the field of animation.
The film Overture follows a humanoid insect that constantly changes and transforms the surrounding world of a Bratislava housing estate through its presence and actions. But what can emerge from its "eating" and reshaping its surroundings? What changes will it bring about?
"The idea for this film was conceived during a period of personal change in my life, and drew heavily on my dreams and subconscious thoughts. Dreams played a significant role in shaping the film; I recorded and analysed individual moments from my dreams before combining them. The film is surreal, with a strong emphasis on atmosphere. On a subconscious level, it deals with themes of leaving childhood and also depression. The focus is on monsters who experience unpleasant physical changes and deformities when they come into contact with the outside world. This process results in "uncanny" scenes inspired by the body horror genre.
The film was created using Blender software. An important visual aspect is the use of everyday objects and their layering. During production, it was necessary to find a balance between elements available online and those created by hand. These elements had to be aesthetically combined into one coherent world," adds Jakub Hronský, the film's author.
Jakub Hronský, originally from Slovakia, is currently studying at the Studio of Animation and Film at UMPRUM in Prague. Overture is his first short film. His main focus is on animation, design and drawing because he enjoys creating strange, imaginary worlds and stories, which he wants to explore further through film in the near future. Jakub is also attracted to the blending of analogue and digital techniques and finding new ways to combine the tangible with the virtual. The overture reflects the themes he seeks to explore in his work. He is interested in anthropology, symbolism and the subconscious.
