Five other world personalities sit with you on the jury. How is it?
It’s actually a very interesting thing, because someone brings you together like that. We are five people from different corners of the world, different professions, which of course all revolve around film, but we have different experiences. And in this lineup, you spend more than a week together, lots and lots of hours. But I have to say that Karel Och has a sense of smell for people who can understand each other, because we sat in the jury really well.
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Are you calmer in this role, or in a role where you wait to see if you get an award?
I am calmer in the role of a judge because no one is judging me, but it is not less demanding. We watch movies, but he can’t leave the cinema and say he liked it or didn’t like it, but you still have to have a conversation regarding it, say your opinions, argue with other people, so it’s not easy, but it’s beautiful. Everyone in the jury is very educated, they have been with the film for a long time, they have a lot of insight, so it was very interesting and rewarding.
Last year, we talked regarding the film Úsvit, which recently won another award.
The award from England has now been joined by the award for best acting performance from the Riviera Film Festival, which is the second largest Italian festival following Venice. The award was presented by Susan Sarandon, who was on the jury, unfortunately I wasn’t at the festival, I was cooking dinner at home at the time (laughs).
The award was accepted by the director and producer of the film, Matěj Chlupáček, who wrote it to me in a message and sent me a video where Susan talks beautifully regarding my performance. At first I mightn’t understand it at all. However, not only I received the award, but also the film itself and Matěj as director received the Hollywood Reporter award.
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Do you remember what you cooked?
It was probably pasta, or maybe asparagus when it’s asparagus season. I’m really good at asparagus. You can make it simply in a frying pan with butter and bake boiled potatoes, which you flatten with a baking cup, salt, pepper and drizzle with oil…
Do you like to take pictures? What does it bring you?
I think I’m more of an introverted person, even though it might not seem like it. I consider playing and everything around it, such as premieres and festivals, as part of my work. And it’s actually not very good for me to be in everyone’s eyes all the time. The fact that everyone is constantly observing and evaluating me is challenging and not doing me any good. And that’s why I found a hobby in photography, because suddenly I’m the one on the other side. I observe and record what is happening around me. It’s relaxing…
It’s not good for me to be in everyone’s eyes all the time. When I take pictures, I am the one who observes
What do you like to photograph the most?
I do street photography. But I mostly take pictures when I’m traveling. I travel alone very often, so I take my camera and set up in my head that I am the observer now. I walk and take pictures. In my opinion, photography is a very introspective matter, I have to observe what I see and what interests me in some way. Suddenly I have to pay attention, which is the opposite of my job, where I go into the background a lot. Here I am suddenly in the foreground and record what I find beautiful or interesting.
What is Eliška Křenková’s relationship to social networks? And why she decided to help people with mental disabilities. Listen to the full interview.