Hungarian Film Magazine – The Cannes 2016 Issue

Superbia
The Noise of Licking
I started working on the animatic because I was
100% sure I wanted to make this film. I just hoped
I could finance it somehow, but once we had the
animatic it was much easier to find funding.”
‘Superbia’ was funded by the NMHH helyett
Media Council's Patronage Programme, and a coproduction
with the Czech Republic and Slovakia,
‘The Noise of Licking’ is a diploma film funded by
the National Film Fund.
The average budget for a short animation is HUF
1 million (EUR 3 000) per minute, but not for a
diploma film or even a low-budget animation.
“When it comes to dubbing, a short animation
cannot afford to pay real money for a real
actor.” There are no dialogues in ‘The Noise of
Licking’, but if you pay attention you can hear
human voices. Just like in ‘Superbia’, where it
was absolutely neccessary to only use sounds
(laughter, moaning) because Luca did not want
to use any human language.
Festivals and festival audiences prefer short
films without dialogue because they don’t
need any translation. But this is something a
filmmaker should not consider: “Producers and
consultants often think that we should do this
or that because of a festival’s preference. But it’s
a mistake, because then you wash out the good
and personal things from your film. You should
always concentrate on what you would like to
tell with your story and why. It’s the only way
you can stay relevant and honest.” Nadja agrees:
you have to focus on your story and mood. “For
a very long time I thought my title had to be
international, but I simply preferred “The Noise
of Licking”. And I think it was the right choice,
although many people tried to talk me out of it.”
‘Superbia’ is definitely R-rated, which may
sound surprising as animation is considered to
be a genre for all ages. “I can understand if you
are surprised to be watching human genitalia
in a short animation.” ‘The Noise of Licking’
is sometimes interpreted as just a cat movie
for lonely women or a love story between a cat
and a woman. “But it’s great to have so many
interpretations. I wanted to present a strange
situation, and the story behind it is up to the
viewer.”
MOME has had a good run in recent years:
‘Rabbit and Dear’, ‘Symphony 42’, ‘Limbo Limbo
Travel’ and now ‘Superbia’ and ‘The Noise of
Licking’. “We are definitely a big group of friends
and we work in close connection with each
other. We are mainly artists who have recently
finished their studies. It’s a very inspiring and
creative group. And yes, MOME brought us
together.” Zsuzsi Kreif, the director of Sundance
guest ‘Limbo Limbo Travel’, also worked on ‘The
Noise of Licking’, and Nadja and Luca are now
working together for an upcoming diploma film
and both have shared the same crew: Péter
Benjámin Lukács as sound designer and Bálint
Gelley as composer. They were the first to hear
the good news: ‘The Noise of Licking’ got into
Cinefondation and ‘Superbia’ will be part of
the Critics Week as the only animation in the
programme. “It is so great that Cannes screens
short live action films and short animation
together, because you are then forced to watch
good quality of both genres. This is a great
opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to a new
audience and reach as many viewers as possible.”
Sure Cannes can give a great head start, but
it’s more than that: “It’s good to be among other
animation filmmakers, because sometimes we
are treated like weirdos. We are filmmakers as
well, not cartoon artists. But since I have literally
just finished ‘Superbia’, I want to enjoy Cannes as
much as I can!”
by Anita Libor
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HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE