>>> BLACK CLOWN (Slovenia)
Film story starts one wintry evening at a tomb, which in 1991 KRIŠTOF (CHRISTOPH) has built for himself in the yard of his villa, while still alive.
On the tomb there is a statue of KRIŠTOF, long haired, in a chimneysweep’s uniform and a statue of his friend MONKEY ANNY, clapping him. On the tomb it is written: KRIŠTOF loved the poor and the helpless.
KRIŠTOF, a rich and popular public persona, ex-chimney sweep, inventor and benefactor, was killed as a candidate for the president of his country.
Who is Black KRIŠTOF. How do we know who he really was?
KRIŠTOF
People need a story which resembles their own as much as possible, don’t they? Or at least resembles their dreams, that’s what Krištof always says. And what is his story if not a story of a small person, who has managed to touch the sky?
A journalist, by name EGON was writing a story about his life story and succes and exploit it till his end – the homicide.
KRIŠTOF
You will write a story that has never been written before. Which everybody is going to read. With it you are going to tell everybody that even someone regarded a backward can succed!
1936
KRIŠTOF came on this world in a black sign, as his father always said. Born in a field, where his pregnant mother was hoeing potatoes, while his father, brothers and sisters were catching butterflies.
While a new born baby (KRIŠTOF) was crying, a black butterfly emerges from its chrysalis and tries to fly up to the sky.
1990
A wintry day. KRIŠTOF, as some kind of Father Christmas, in a black chimney sweep uniform, descends with his MONKEY ANNY over roofs edge on a fully crowded square below. He, being already a popular public “persona”, is giving people his newly written book about his life and makes speech to them. In an office at the top of the building, facing the same square,some other persons are watching KRIŠTOF’s “circus”. They are speaking about “the clown who is not to be underestimated and who’s greed for publicity is an over-compensation for all that he failed to experience in his childhood”.
What do we really know about him?
1942
KRIŠTOF, regarded a backward, lives as a waif by rich peasant family without children. He is treated like an animal and lives enchained in the stable, emotionally and socially totally undeveloped. He doesn’t go to school and can’t even speak properly. His master BERGER tortures and whips him daily. One night KRIŠTOF tries to escape, but his master catches him in the woods and punishes him. BERGER ties KRIŠTOF and drops him into the well.
A perspective from the well: BERGER drops KRIŠTOF with tied legs into the well and yells into it. The well sends an echo back.
MR. BERGER
You would just escape from your duty, dummy. You’ll remember who is Berger!
KRIŠTOF is drowning in the well, grabbing for the chain in order to stay on the surface. His frightened face, his struggle for survival.
That night KRIŠTOF finally finds his voice and his first words.
1986
KRIŠTOF comes back from Germany, where he was called “The Pauper’s President” at the time when social and political changes begin in the Middle and Eastern Europa, to start a new life. He comes with his beloved GRETA and his monkey ANNY. He is now a rich and famous benefactor. He became that as an succesful inventor of the dialysis filters. He donates money and medical equipment for children’s hospitals, he goes around and meets poor people. He starts to write his book with the help of the journalist Egon. He wants to build himself a new home in the middle of the woods, besides the lake of black swans, where he had slept like a boy and from where he, as an orphan, had to go in the wide world, escaping from his master. He builds his own tomb besides the house.
1992
A popular former chimney sweep decides to step even into the politics and runs a campaign for the president of his newly formed country.
It is then that KRIŠTOF decides to change his image too. He cuts his long black hair and changes his clothes into white. Fatal mistake? ...
Wrong colour, wrong dressing, wrong mask ?
ANNY sits on a chest of drawers behind him and looks in the mirror what he is doing.
KRIŠTOF
Now Krištof is prettier than you, Anny!
KRIŠTOF looks at ANNY while cutting and smiles. ANNY comes closer to his shoulder, looks at his new image with surprise and murmurs. KRIŠTOF winks at it.
KRIŠTOF
You’ll no longer accompany the future president. So that people wouldn’t be able to say that their president has fleas.
ANNY bares its teeth at him.
People are divided: some worshiping him as their leader and others considering him madman ,a »clown«.
“CHIMNEY SWEEP“ is a film story about social masks, as well.
Igor Likar
a director, dramaturgist, poet, screewriter and journalist. Since 1979 has been working as director of radioplays within the framework of Radio Slovenia - Drama department, where he has directed more than eighty plays, documentary dramas and sound experimental plays. With the works he has either directed or written, has taken part at numerous domestic and international festivals and won a number of awards and he is a member of Ars Acustica experts. He directed several theatre works by Beckett, Strindberg, Montherlant, Yerofeyev, Ghelderod, J.M. Barrie, and Slovene poets: B. A. Novak, E. Kocbek, K. Kovic and S. Kosovel and others.
| Where have you heard about Scripteast? |
I've heard for Scripteast workshop from Mediadesk Slovenia. |
| What made you interested in this program? |
It seemed to me an option for a proper (long term) evaluation of the film theme I develop. |
| What do you expect from this year edition of scripteast? |
I expect the best possible advising and adequate promotion of the final script |
| Do you have previous experience as tutor and advisor at similar workshops? |
I have been once at Grožnjan productional workshop (Croatia) and I have worked separate with some advisors. |
| What is your personal defintion of a good scrtipt and what - the most- makes it succesful? |
Good and understandable story, proposed in good time framing , aiming sensitive visual atmospheres, told with skilled metaphorical film language and concerning the tension of experiencing unknown of the possible public(tension of re-discovery). |
