Cinema for me is…
Nikola in 23 Frames
1. Describe yourself in ten words.
Sometimes introvert, sometimes extrovert, full time in a creative mode.
2. Your best quality? Your worst habit?
I’m a very emphatic person, which is, in my opinion, my strongest trait. My worst habit would be that I often fulfill my tasks at the last possible minute.
3. Your dream job?
A film director.
4. What do you like most about your country?
Traditions and culture.
5. Your favorite dish in your country?
Bryndzové halušky – boiled gnocchi with a soft sheep cheese and bacon. Yummy.
6. Which word or phrase in your native language do you like the most and what does it mean?
Čučoriedka – “blueberry” – always a great fun to teach foreigners how to pronounce that one.
7. What European capital have you visited lately?
Budapest.
8. Other than your own, which European country would you love to live in?
Sweden! It is a beautiful country with high living standards and an awesome language.
9. What does Europe mean to you? 3 values.
Europe for me represents a rich historical background, cultural inspiration and economic stability.
10. What film made you fall in love with cinema?
This is really hard to tell, but perhaps it was The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Peter Jackson, 2001-2002, US, 2003 NZ) introduced by my brother when I was a child.
11. Your favorite film theatre? What do you like about it?
The film theatre in my home town. It carries a lot of lovely film memories from my teenage years and it’s always nice to return there.
12. Who is your movie hero?
Impossible to tell. In almost every movie I usually find my own hero appealing to me for some reason.
13. Which movie director would you like to be?
I have a bunch of favorite directors ready to take an inspiration from, but I don’t think I would like to be any of them. I would like to remain as original as possible.
14. Briefly describe your favorite scene.
One of my most favorite scenes (also most disturbing) is the monster scene from the movie El Laberinto del Fauno (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006, ES). Ofelia, a small girl is sent to retrieve a dagger from a monster’s lair. This monster is a hideous humanoid with loose skin and his eyes in his palms instead of his face, called Pale Man. Ofelia is warned that the monster is only asleep. While she is walking around she sees disturbing paintings of the monster eating children. She is warned not to take anything from the table. However, she does not listen. And of course, the monster wakes up.
15. What are the 3 best European films you have seen in the last year?
Den skyldige (Gustav Möller, 2018, DK)
Transit (Christian Petzold, 2018, DE)
Jusqu’à la garde (Xavier Legrand, 2018, FR)
16. Which film character do you most identify with?
I would go a bit commercial here and say Tony Stark. He represents a great developed character and we share a lot of personality and habitual traits. I kind of grew up on Iron Man movies.
17. Your favorite soundtrack or song?
Almost every song/soundtrack Hans Zimmer related.
18. If you had to live in a movie, which one would you like it to be?
Harry Potter (Various, 2001-2011, US). It has one of the greatest fantastic movie-worlds created. Magic behind every corner is a very attractive choice in contradiction to our ordinary reality.
19. Your life becomes a bio-pic. Who plays the role of you?
Hah, Jim Carrey. My life is a comedy.
20. Which talent would you most like to have?
Playing piano.
21. What is your most treasured possession?
My collection of guitar picks obtained during the live concerts of my favorite bands.
22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Surely one of the greatest achievements is also being selected to be a part of the 28 Times Cinema edition. Beside that, it would be the production of my first music videos.
23. What is your motto?
I will either find a way or make one, Hannibal.