ISLAND, 100min., Czech Republic
Directed by Rudolf Havlík
Richard and Alice, a married couple, are going on an exotic vacation. Richard is a successful architect and is continuously working on something. Even on their vacation. During their dinner, Richard admits to Alice that he has found a younger mistress and wants a divorce. Alice is in shock. The holiday is suddenly in ruins, and Alice wants to fly away immediately. Therefore, Richard books a small plane. Unfortunately, their plane crashes, and they find themselves on a desert island, and they don't even talk to each other.

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Get to know the ffilmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Whole my life, I was traveling for work and knowledge around the globe, and I think I can say that I am an adventure type, and I realized that there is a point in my career when I can start to make films about adventures and try something, that I always wanted to do. Something which is more international than local theme and makes a film about an ordinary couple, stranded in the desert island. I found this interesting, and of course, I knew all the references, but I tried to make it from a different angle and focus on those two people in this unfortunate situation. They have to deal with the environment and their couple issues. The ad, of course, with little comedy inside because humor is my home :)

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

It took a long time. We have been working on the script to be carefully crafted and with an excellent script doctor. Then we have to invent how to make the film, because in my country, there is always trouble with a budget, so we have to think smart and have a precious timing and production schedule. And then, covid situation happened, and we had to wait one more year because of the pandemic. After that, we arrived in Thailand on the first day, when Thailand was reopened for visitors. It was fascinating because I saw places I knew from decades before as crowded places; now, nobody was on site. It was lovely and sad at the same time. We also had to follow many safety instructions and shot the whole movie with protection, and it was sometimes challenging, but after three years, we made it.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Funny and entertaining.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

As we are experienced filmmakers, we knew what we were going to do, so the only challenging thing was nature :) First, animals on the beach and in the jungle. If you are a tourist, you will spend your day on the beach only for a few hours, but if you have to be there for 30 days, it is a different thing. You will find out that there are many residents, and some of them are, for example, poisonous or a little dangerous. On the rather hand, I didn't want to hurt any of them because I love nature and don't want to cause any trouble to the environment, so we had to be very careful with our crew because there were spiders, centipedes, snakes, scorpions and in the night filming in the jungle with lights it is even more challenging. The second thing was that we first had to clean all the beaches and spots we wanted to use and I have to say, it was a tough job sometimes, but we liked it because we cleaned some unique places and I hope they will stay that way for some time.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

In the Czech Republic, it is rare to make a genre movie, and many people were skeptical when I told them what I wanted to do and why because it is a very different approach than they usually hear. There were very few expectations for the box office, and of course, that worried me, but I trusted myself, and I worked very hard Island became number one in Czech for a long time; we had a fantastic box office, and our film is still in cinemas after seven months, scoring on Netflix now and in festivals, which is fantastic. I am very grateful that our movie entertains people from other countries. It is the biggest reward to know that I can make international films and follow this route in the future.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I was eight, I borrowed my father's 8mm camera and made a Western movie with my fellas in nature near our home. It was fun only, but I loved it, and then, I forgot that feeling for a long time because I was from a tiny town and did not even know that there was a school for filmmakers. I worked as a graphic designer, made many comic books, and then started traveling around the world as a freelancer, who was responsible for garment production for global companies. I spent 15 years in India, China, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, and many other countries to witness garment, plastic, and electronic productions. I know everything about fast fashion and spend a lot of time with people in factories who work for minimal fees. Those years were eye-opening for me, and I started blogging about fast fashion, the responsibility of global companies, and about help to people in factories. My texts were very successful. I published several electrical books about this problem, and it was bestsellers, and then I remembered that I always wanted to make films. And I made my debut movie based on my experiences in Asia, and it was a success; from that day, I have been making films, and now I am here. I am a fortunate guy.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

That's the question, but it will probably be one of Spielberg's or Zemeckis's films because I love them from childhood. Indiana Jones or Back to the Future, probably. Both franchises are essential for the adventure genre, in my opinion, and I like them :)

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I can't say, because I wasn't at your festival personally, which I regret, but you helped me already because you showed my film to a new audience. You gave me the award, which is fantastic, and it is motivation to get a better filmmaker and try more challenging things. Thank you!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Easy and perfect.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I am a foodie and love everything from all countries; I am not picky :)

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Right now, I am in the middle of preparation for my new thriller movie about scuba divers searching for a famous lost treasure from the ship "Flor de la Mar," one of the most significant lost treasures in the world. Yes, it's an adventure treasure hunt. As I said, I am a lucky guy :)