Short Pick Of The Day: ‘Cyclists’ by Veljko Popovic

“In a small town next to the sea in Croatia, the cycling season is at its peak. During the final race the two leaders are not just battling for the grand prize, but also for the affection of a lady and fulfillment of their erotic fantasy.”

Film by Veljko Popovic, Croatia/France, 2018. Produced by Lemonade 3D and Bagan Films with the participation of Arte France, CNC, and in co-production with 3D2D Animatori.

Winner at Annecy (jury distinction for short film, 2018), Hiroshima (special prize, 2018), Animafest Zagreb (best Croatian film, 2018), Krok (grand prix, 2018).

Statement from filmmaker, excerpted from this interview:

I have been around the artwork of Vasko Lipovac since my childhood. He is an artist that has managed to capture the soul of our town and its people. My studio Prime Render studios and I have been working with the family of Vasko Lipovac for a while and the idea of a short animated film just came as a wonderful continuation of that relationship! We had free rein on what part of his opus to focus in this film. We fell in love with his series of erotic drawings and his cyclist’s sculptures and drawings. We started out with just examining his drawings and sculptures, trying to determine the overall rules in his designs and posing. We experimented with different cg techniques such as 3d sculpting, digital drawing, and classical 2d drawing on paper. Creating poses and actions that are not seen in his paintings, yet still preserve the character and intention of his work, was the biggest challenge. The last stage was animation, which was tough to do. I was rather strict and careful to maintain the spirit of Vasko in every frame. Throughout the process, Mario Lipovac, one of Vasko’s sons, was a great help and source of information.