POGO | IN DEVELOPMENT
| SYNOPSE
Since 1977, the Voyager space probe has been traveling through cold, distant space. After an unexpected flight through a wormhole, it emerges hurtling to the planet POGO, where it reels off greetings in various possible languages in front of the astonished Pogonians. When they don’t respond to any of them, for good measure it plays Mozart’s Magic Flute and rock’n’roll Go, Johnny, go. This so excites the young Pogonians that they start researching how to get to Earth, where it surely must be so great. Because no music existed on Pogo until now. Similarly, the probe itself yearns to return to humanity. And even if the possible path back turns out to be impossible, the seeds of music have taken hold in the virgin soil of the planet POGO and its inhabitants‘ souls, and are wildly germinating…
| CREDITS
Script and director – Jana Švermová, Markéta Fulínová
Art design – Jana Švermová
Producers – Alena Vandasová, Martin Vandas, Maurfilm (CZ)
Genre – animated sci-fi short film for children
Estimated length – 10 min.
Financially supported by Czech Film Fund
| BIOGRAPHY
Jana Švermová
Jana Švermová graduated from the Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín, majoring in animated film. As an animator, she worked on the evening children’s show Bob and Bobek. She is the artist of the winning film at Anifest 2011 – “Chronicle of Oldřich S.” (director: Rudolf Šmíd). She is the director and artist of the clip “In ordinary days”, 2020. Since 2006, she has also been a visual effects specialist at the UPP and RUR studios. She has participated in films and series (e.g. The Nutcracker (2010), Grandhotel (2007), Miasto 44 (2014) , Kuky Returns (2007), Hiding in the Zoo (2017), Pillars of the Earth (2010) Genius (2017). She also illustrates books for children (e.g. How Klára turned everything upside down, by J. Nvota; Zajda and Majda and Pajda in Italy by J. Švermová)
Markéta Fulínová
While studying International Relations at Prague University of Economics and Business, she managed the university cinema (FK VŠE). However, after further studying Political Science at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University and after maternity leave, she started working as a VFX specialist for various studios in Prague (UPP, RUR, Eallin) both in dramas (e.g. Burning Bush (2013), Marie Terezie (2020), Best Friend (2017), Snowpiercer (2013), Wiplala (2014), Preise der Freiheit (2019), as well as in animated films (Hurvínek and the Magic Museum (2017) and documentaries (Francesco 2020). She also participated in the digital restoration of Černý Petr (2017).
In recent years, she has been collaborating as author and director with TPS Development of children’s programs for Czech Television Déčko. The series Frnk z hnízda and Ptačí rodinky were presented by CT as part of the EBU Erfurt preschool item exchange (2019, 2020).
