As the Oscar shortlists were announced last week (read news), Slovak producer Juraj Krasnohorský of Artichoke found two of his short films had been selected: Hurikán by Jan Saska (a co-production between the Czech Republic, France, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) and I Died in Irpin by Anastasiia Falileieva (a co-production between the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine). We had a chat with him about them.

Cineuropa: Both I Died in Irpin by Anastasiia Falileieva and Hurikán by Jan Saska have reached the Oscar shortlist. As a producer, how do you read this recognition, both personally and for European short filmmaking today?
Juraj Krasnohorský: Reaching this stage in the Oscar race is significant recognition for everyone involved, especially the directors. These are two very different yet deeply personal films by young filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe. Although distinct, both films embody a strong Central and Eastern European sensibility and style. As a Slovak producer and Head of Studies at the CEE Animation Workshop, showcasing talent from the region has always been my mission. It is gratifying to see both films succeed this year, as they deserve the additional attention the Oscar race can bring.

Both films are animated shorts, yet they stem from radically different realities. One rooted in the trauma of war, the other in a more allegorical and ironic register. What drew you to these two projects, and what convinced you they needed to exist as films?
Both films are our sixth or seventh collaboration with Czech producer Martin Vandas from Maur Film. This year, we also released a feature film, Tales from the Magic Garden [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], which is now nominated for the European Film Awards. We share a similar sensibility for relevant stories and the unique artistic visions of the filmmakers behind them. I met Jan Saska and his student colleague, now main producer of Hurikán, Kamila Dohnalova, about ten years ago at the CEE Animation Forum, when they were still finishing their acclaimed student film Happy End, so I knew even then that I wanted to follow them on their artistic journey. As for Anastasiia Falileieva, the young and very talented director of I Died in Irpin, it was Martin who met her by chance at a pitching event in Poland and immediately knew it was a project we should produce together. I feel these two films would exist in some form even without a producer, as they are so strongly driven by their creators. Thanks to the producers involved, they could be made as professional films, with a budget, under better conditions and receive important support in distribution.

I Died in Irpin is directed by a very young Ukrainian filmmaker and deals with recent, ongoing trauma. How did you approach your role as a producer in terms of responsibility, ethics and protection of the director during the creative process?
This is very important to me personally, and I am deeply grateful to have been part of not only a beautiful artistic achievement but also a powerful statement that remains so relevant today. Anastasiia Fialileieva went through something extremely difficult. She literally escaped death, and it is true when she says in the film that "sometimes she feels like she died in Irpin." While I followed every moment of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine on my phone, feeling hopeless and desperate to help, she was living through it. What others might experience as deep trauma, Stacy, thanks to her boundless zest for life, transformed into poetry and drawings. She is not a victim; she is a true fighter, and I admire her for that. She also has a great sense of humour. My contribution was to help provide the best conditions for her to tell her story. We also worked together to find the right words during the voice recording, but I felt that, artistically, Stacy knew exactly what she wanted to do. Today, I stand behind the film completely. It angers me when I hear people say they are tired of the war in Ukraine. How tired must Ukrainians be, then? I truly hope this film gains wider visibility thanks to the Oscars, because, just like Picasso's Guernica, there is nothing more powerful than art to express the horrors of war.

Hurikán is clearly conceived as an adult animated film, using irony and stylisation to address vulnerability, masculinity and emotional imbalance. As a producer, how did you work with Jan Saska to protect this adult tone while still ensuring the film could circulate internationally and reach institutions like the Academy?
As you say, I believe the audience immediately connects with the main character's underlying vulnerability. Jan Saska pulled off a brilliant trick by giving this "swine character" a pig's head, materialising in advance what the public would typically think of such a character. Yet he still managed to convey his sensitivity and vulnerability. The film won the audience's hearts from its very first screening, receiving the Audience Award in Annecy, and continued to collect audience awards almost everywhere it was shown. This is a great recognition for the film and truly the highest honor for the director, as it demonstrates his special talent for connecting with viewers. It only confirms what we already saw with the success of Jan's previous short, Happy End. So there was no concern about the film's potential to circulate internationally. Our only small worry was that, despite being an obvious festival darling, the film might not receive the Oscar-qualifying award it needed to be eligible for the Oscar run. Fortunately, it did, with the HollyShorts award for best film – an award it truly deserved.

Producing short films today often means navigating tight budgets, long development periods and uncertain visibility. What production or strategic choices were key in allowing these films to travel so widely and reach institutions like the Academy?
The main challenge with short films is balancing the director’s artistic vision and expectations with the realities of limited budgets and the large number of high-quality films competing at the same time. For a director, a short film can represent three to four years of work, making it the most important thing in their life at that moment. When the response from festivals is not immediate or as expected, it can be difficult. Sometimes, audience appreciation does not come at the first screening but grows with each festival. That was the case with both of these films. The best situation is when the creator is not alone in the process but is supported personally and professionally by people who know how to navigate the challenges of production, distribution, marketing, and especially the specific demands of an Oscar campaign. There were a series of strategic choices for both films, including working with experienced distribution companies such as Miyu for Hurikán and Cinefila for I Died in Irpin, and having the support of Benoit Berthe Siward / The Animation Showcase in promoting the films to AMPAS members. Right now, our job is to make sure the audience is in the room when the lights go down. The films are strong in their own unique ways. I can see both making it to the final nomination.