Interview with Dimitri Kanjuka

Dimitri Kanjuka is the writer, director and editor of Slayer, a horror short film, which was screened at Fighting Spirit Film Festival 2020. The short film is about slayers who hunt vampires and other terrifying monsters in a steampunk world. Slaying vampires is tough when things don’t go as planned.

Image Courtesy of Dimitri Kanjuka

Describe yourself as three fictional characters.

Terminator, Tyler Durden, Michael Corleone.

What got you interested in filmmaking? 

Creating my own worlds and stories.

How would you describe the film industry in the Czech Republic?

"Dead end" but with a great potential. I think there are a lot of talented filmmakers who haven't got a chance yet. I think we need a time.

How did you come up with the idea for Slayer? 

I thought about new short action film and my friend, who plays one of the Slayer characters, said:"What do you think about vampires?" Bang and the idea was born.

What drew you to the Steampunk style for Slayer?

I wanted to make a film in "19th century London" style. Steampunk was idea of the action coordinator Libor Vrba.

What were some of your inspirations for the style and also the story?

Old PC game Nocturne and James Cameron's movies.

How did you do the casting for Slayer? 

I had a main actor from the first moment in my head. Jaroslav Pícka has a great charisma. Other two guys Petr Trojánek and Petr Novák were chosen by action coordinator Libor Vrba.

Regarding the costume design, how did you find the costumes for the short film?

We chose the costumes in the warehouse of the Merlet agency and the fencing group Maledictus.

Can you tell us about how the action was designed for Slayer? 

We had two action coordinators, Libor Vrba and Ondřej Voda. They shared their work. My wish was fluent action in a first part and more rough action in a second part. They did it great.

Can you tell us about your experience on set, what were the good days and challenging days on set like?

We had challenging days only. We had very little time, a small film crew and a lot of shots.

I noticed the lack of dialogue and the focus on sound design, what was the reasoning behind that?

I wanted to show an atmosphere without dialogue. I wanted you to know how the hero feels without having to explain it in words.

What drew you to the blue colour palette for the film?

I wanted you to feel like it was all happening at full moon.

Can you talk us through the visual effects you used in the film.

I used basic visual effects mainly muzzle flash because we no budget for the blank bullets.

How has your experience been with the Fighting Spirit Film Festival?

A great festival with a great organization and communication. It was a great honor for me to be a part of the festival.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can tell us about? 

Yes, I'm finishing a new project called "Kill your darlings". It is a sci-fi/comedy short film. It's a slightly different film than my previous projects.

Speed Round. Pick one film for each category.

What was the first film that you remember watching?

Terminator 2

What is your most watched film? 

Terminator 2

Which cinematic universe would you like to live in? (e.g. The Grand Budapest Hotel, X-Men, MCU)

The Rocky Universe

What is your current favourite film?

Currently I'm excited about the movie Marriage Story.

What upcoming film are you excited for?

Any new David Fincher film

Image Courtesy of Dimitri Kanjuka

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