JOKO is a story about a young man who supports his entire family by working in a factory. One day, when Joko is going to work, someone jumps on his back and orders him to carry them around the city. Although initially the protagonist rebels against this humiliation, he eventually gives in and the new occupation slowly dominates him, defeating him both mentally and physically.
– Topor’s work has this incredible timelessness about it. The way he tackles taboo subjects with such freedom, humor and courage pushes you out of your comfort zone as a creator – Izabela Plucińska shares her fascination with the French writer. – This 15-minute short transforms Topor’s narrative into a darkly comic meditation on exploitation and power dynamics, following a young factory worker whose life takes an absurd turn when strangers begin using him as their personal means of transportation – she adds.
The film’s distinctive visual style emerges from Plucińska’s innovative approach to plasticine animation. The technique used in the film was developed by the director herself. The painstaking process involved photographing each minute movement on a specially designed animation table. Why plasticine? Because – according to the artist – this material emphasizes the tragic nature of the world created by Topor. The outstanding animation method allowed the colors to blend and flow, essentially creating the illusion of painting with plasticine. More than 600 plasticine puppets were used to create “JOKO”.
Production of the film took place in Berlin, Warsaw and Szczecin, while post-production took place in Prague. The international collaboration brought together talented teams from Animoon (producer) and co-producers: Clay Traces, Forest of Art Foundation, Maur Film and the West Pomeranian Film Fund as well as a great support of the Academy of the Fine Arts in Szczecin.
– What really excites us is seeing how this challenging but universal story resonates with both industry professionals and audiences alike – says Grzegorz Wacławek, head of Animoon and adds that “JOKO” has just qualified for the short film program at the Manchester Animation Festival 2024. The film’s outstanding artistry has already earned recognition at several major festivals, including the Best Original Music Award for Short Film at the Annecy Festival (France), the audience award at the ANIMAPHIX New Contemporary Languages Film Festival (Italy) as well as the Grand Prix at the Animator, the International Animation Film Festival, which has Oscar-qualifying status. Because of the latter, it began its ongoing “For Your Consideration” campaign, through which it aims to draw the attention of film industry experts.
The film’s international promotion campaign is currently underway with support from the Polish Film Institute and Animoon, bringing this unique vision to audiences worldwide.
– This is Animoon’s fifth production that, thanks to festival qualification, has a chance to catch the attention of the most important people in the industry and compete for the most prestigious statue in the film world – says Grzegorz Wacławek, noting that the production company has a strong track record of creating award-winning and impactful animated shorts, including “ACID RAIN”, nominated for the prestigious Annie Awards, and the “Impossible Figures and Other Stories” trilogy, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Their films have collectively garnered over 200 awards so far, with the studio itself being named the Producer of the Year at Cartoon Movie Tributes 2022.