Pięć Minut Starsza deals with sisterhood and identity. What did you wish to explore in the relationship between the two sisters?
I actually have a twin sister myself, and I always felt that this relationship shaped my identity in very specific ways. Me and Nadia are very close, we look similar, we share the same interests. And because of that, I always struggled with a sense of identity and individuality. People often don’t understand the complexity of having such a close relationship in one’s life. Upon hearing the phrase “twins”, they picture an idealised image of best friends, who understand each other without words and change identities to trick others. No one realises the immense effort it takes to maintain a sense of individuality in the relationship, and I wanted to shed light on the topic. My life as a twin sister is a constant pursuit of autonomy vs. closeness, two forces which pull me in with equal strength. Me and my sister are always joking that we’re like a marriage with no option for divorce. We love each other immensely and are there for each other no matter what, day and night, but equally so our fights can get really vicious, as we know exactly what to say to hurt the other. And however bad it gets, at the end of the day, we have to ‘kiss and make up’. In the film, the two sisters share a similar love-hate relationship. Personally, it was an important film for me to make. I made it at a time when my sister and I became very distant and were holding onto a lot of grudges towards one another. I guess I wanted to find out if it’s all worth it in the end. But you will have to see the film to find that out.
Has animation always been an area of interest to you?
I always enjoyed watching animation, as a kid and as an adult, and I have a serious addiction to all three of Matt Groening’s shows: The Simpsons, Futurama and Disenchantment. But I never envisioned myself as an animation creator myself. Honestly, it was a very random life choice that got me on this path. As children, my sister Nadia and I were always very interested in photography and film, photographing everything on our path with our granddad’s old Kiev camera. When we grew up, she tried very hard to get into the Cinematography department at the school where I study at now, the National Film School in Lodz, and after two tries, she got in. Amazingly, because each year only seven or eight students are accepted at each department, and hundreds apply. I tried three times and never got in – I was told that my visual style is too similar to that of Nadia’s. Looking back at it now, it was a blessing in disguise. At the last minute, I decided to apply to the Animated Film department, as I always loved creating worlds from scratch. I never knew how to draw correctly, which would probably explain the way my film looks.
Can you tell us a bit about the tools and techniques that you are using in the film?
The film was drawn entirely on a Wacom tablet on my laptop, using Photoshop and shyly used After Effects since I am not a technology person. Only the backgrounds are made by hand using ink and Winsor & Newton markers on my favourite yellowish paper, that I had to sacrifice my entire favourite notebook for.
Is there a particular short film that has made a strong impression on you?
Honestly, I am a great fan of my sister’s work. She’s done both documentary and fiction, but her latest documentary, Milo, really struck me both visually and in its enchanting take on a heavy topic – accommodating motherhood with youth, when one becomes a mother at a young age. I guess it’s not such a surprise, since we have such a similar visual style, and draw from the same life experiences (our mom had us very young). When it comes to work by famous directors in animation, I would have to admit to being a big fan of Igor Kovalyov’s shorts, with their raw aesthetics and witty, abstract narrative, as well as the work of my professor and mentor, Mariusz Wilczyński.
What’s your definition of a good film?
I am extremely & increasingly fascinated by human beings, what they think, how they see the world, where they’re going. Each one of us is unique, with our own baggage, thoughts, flaws (oh, marvellous, marvellous flaws), moods, observations. I believe the best films are those that dig deep into our own experiences and draw from them directly, tearing them out of ourselves for others to see. I believe true masterpieces can only come from a place of vulnerability, which is an amazing force that drives people closer together. Making films is a form of therapy for me. During the process, I cry, I sweat, I curse. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, because at the end of the process, I can look into the mirror and see a little part of myself that was always pushed into the deepest realms of my being, shine proudly in the sun.
Pięć Minut Starsza [Five Minutes Older] is being shown as part of International Competition I2.
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