06/05/2013 - A significant and fresh talent, Viktor Tauš has directed and produced several memorable films. His latest project features Kati Outinen, under the Fog'n'Desire moniker

“It’s the craft that makes a difference,” says Viktor Tauš, whose filmography boasts both diversity and class. With two interesting projects close to being finished and an ambitious one in the making, he aspires to move to the spotlight of European cinema very soon.

Cineuropa: You are going to Cannes as a producer of the latest film by Oscar nominee Jan Hřebejk and with an upcoming movie, Clownwise, as director. How do you balance these two activities in your professional life?
Viktor Tauš: This really goes hand-in-hand in my life. Cahiers du cinema came up with the term “do-it-yourself generation”. I consider myself its proud member. By producing, I serve myself as a director and by creating the environment for the directors I admire I can also serve myself as a moviegoer. It’s a win-win situation.

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Your latest film as a director features Kati Outinen, an actress who frequently collaborates with Aki Kaurismäki. What are your aspirations with this film, internationally?
Kati always was the dream cast for the part. It’s the same with Didier Flamand and Julie Ferrier. Because of them, Clownwise is a better film and me pursuing them had nothing to do with any other “aspiration” than simply to make a good film.

However, having them in the film with very clear and interesting premise (social drama with clowns at its centre), telling a great story that can resonate with people no matter what nationality they are within very impressive production values and shot in a visual way as an homage to the old style filmmaking, Clownwise is certainly aimed at a broader distribution than simply in its co-production territories.

We're getting to the point of showing it to a very few carefully preselected sales agents as well as the festivals.

Are you a frequent film festival visitor? Do you perceive them as an opportunity for your work?
It’s a chance to talk to fellow filmmakers out of their respective environments and daily duties. Sometimes, one can find someone sharing a passion for the same subject and co-production can come out of it. But the actual chatting about the films, seeing others pursuing their dreams with the same passion, is highly motivating and much more important to me than any work opportunities.

You have directed such diverse films as the personal and raw drama My Detox and a sequel to the local hit The Great Thaw. Meanwhile, you have also directed many commercials for renowned clients. Do all these activities intertwine or do you approach them differently?
Again, it exists side-by-side for me. I treasure the actual craft above all because there is no art without craft in my opinion. Nowadays, the craft is more important than ever because we’re living in the world where anyone can grab a camera and “shoot” and get a platform. And to me it’s the craft that makes a difference.

And one has to work to master the craft. Isn’t it what the old masters did, switching between highly personal subjects and assignments? Strangely enough, in the end, the best and most personal stuff often came out of the assignments.

When planning your next movie, do you tend to think about the current changing state of film distribution, digitalization, VOD and similar phenomena?
Yes, sure. It’s unimaginable for a European filmmaker to aim for a global taste of a planet of eight billion people. We all have to invest ourselves more into finding people who share a passion for the same kind of stories. That means distributing the film on different platforms, to provide the people with a chance to find the film.

Having been selected for the Producers on the Move panel, what plans and expectations will you be going to Cannes with? Are you perhaps thinking of an international co-production?
I’m aiming to find co-producers for The Red Captain, a thriller I’m producing, based on the bestselling book by Dominik Dan, who devoted his life to detective work and has an incredible talent for expressing that in writing. At the same time, I’m always eager to find a project to take part in as a minority Czech co-producer. But, as always, it has to start with a good story.

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