Interview with Ali Black, artistic director of the CaSSFA!
Ahead of the opening of CaSSFA’s 11th year, Ali Back took the time to give our audiences some insider insight into the 2023 program and what he’s learnt as Artistic Director.
The 2023 Czech and Slovak Film Festival is running 27 Sept - 11 Oct Naarm/Melbourne and 03 Nov - 05 Nov Tarntanya/Adelaide.
This year is one of your largest programs, what were some of the key drivers behind your program selections?
We were working with a six film line-up but that steadily increased to eleven, so we’ve got a good variety on offer, light and dark, mainstream and arthouse. An eleven movie line-up allowed us to go deeper into the art house, and deeper into the mainstream - it’s a win win for both crowds!
The theme this year is Spirit of Independence, what was the journey to this theme?
Late last year marked the 30th year anniversary of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the idea was to build a theme around that occasion. We were thinking about the new-found independence of both countries but also the strong feeling of creative freedom in contemporary Czech and Slovak Cinema and that feeling runs all the way back to Czechoslovakian cinema. In all of our editions, you are watching movies by ambitious artists who wish to make their own creative mark on the world. It was important that the movie characters also embodied this spirit, who are often just alternative versions of their creators.
You’ve been with CaSFFA since 2021, can you share with us some of the lessons you’ve learnt in this time that lead you to the position of Artistic Director?
A passion for movies is important and a passion to promote cinema and a readiness to push your own tastes and thoughts. It’s helpful to be on the look-out for movies all year and knowing which film-festivals and critics to trust makes things easier. And learning to work with a committee of people who have different tastes about what makes or what doesn’t make a good movie.
Which films from the programme would you suggest for someone that’s new to international cinema?
A lot of the movies have a sense of Hollywood in their DNA. Our Opening Night movie The Chambermaid honours the classic period-romance by its set dressing, cinematography and script. Ordinary Failures and Brutal Heat blend the typical end of the world movie with very unique and original stories. Journey to Yourland embraces the children’s animation and fantasy genres and I’ve decided Liquid Bread has echoes of a Wes Anderson. But if you want no familiar point to jump off of give Notes from Eremocene a go.
Are there any films that didn’t quite make the cut this year that you want to give some praise to?
Yes! One was a sci-fi and the other was a children’s animation. Both were fantastic but neither were available with our dates. We’re hoping to arrange a special screening for one of them. If they are missed by the other film festivals, we’ll be pushing for both for CaSFFA 2024!
