ABOUT A COW | In production
| SYNOPSIS
A patchwork of true stories from the life of cows. The film starts with an idyllic image of a pasture where cows are enjoying free movement after having spent the winter in the cowshed. The joy is disrupted by episodic situations from all over the world where cows are going through both positive and negative moments.
This film is not merely critical, it also shows more optimistic images from the life of cows, who are closely connected to the human world and it shows us hope for a better world.
| CREDITS
Director – Pavla Baštanová
Script – Eva Prchalová, Pavla Baštanová
Animation – Bára Halířová
Producer – MAUR film (Mária Moťovská)
Estimated length – 10 min.
Estimated release – 2023
Financially supported by the Czech Film Fund.
| DOWNLOADS
Visuals – Zip (11x jpg)
| GALLERY
| GALLERY – VIDEO
| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Director´s statement
The development of this story is connected with the deep need to express civilizational anxiety which comes from increasing and irreversible global problems. Hypocrisy and laziness often do not allow people to scale down their comfortable lifestyle and change their attitude. Animals cannot make this decision, they are dependent on people. We witness the extinction of many species, migration and changes of biorhythms of thousands of animals. The world we know is changing. My film aims to contribute positively to the current situation. I would like to make a film which makes people think of the life of an animal – in this case the life of a cow.
It is necessary to have a complex view of animals as living beings, not just a product to be used by industry and the economy. I do not want to be radically activist or strictly documentary and critical, even though I will work with real facts. My feelings are expressed indirectly by using animated collage and playful narration which is looking at a cow‘s life from a wide perspective. The story of a cow can be a simplified story of our world. I chose an animated documentary as the guiding principle, however the final form of the visual style has not been decided yet. Collage in narration will be displayed in the art design by using metamorphosis connecting the individual short cow stories. Episodes will organically flow into each other. It will support the idea of continuity of cows across the world.
The script works with kaleidoscopic narration without dialogues, shortcuts and continuity among stories – that is why the sound design has to be very strong. Art design will work with 2D cut outs, paint and drawn textures and abstract visuals. It should help to avoid too much morality and radicalism. Finding the harmony between cow and man can be an inspiration for everyone.
