A small Mediterranean town bustles with excitement as the grand finale of a cycling competition, the arrival of an ocean liner, and various sexual fantasies come to a head in this week’s exclusive Staff Pick Premiere, “Cyclists” by Veljko Popović.
Inspired by the sculptures and paintings of renowned Croatian artist Vasko Lipovac, Popović delightfully brings those unusual characters into vivid reality with the same humor, eroticism, and specificity of the originals. Lipovac’s character work is intrinsically tied to their shapes and linework; which, when put in motion, allow their personalities to come alive. Through repetition, rhythm, and patient storytelling, the townspeople’s supercharged sexual desires are revealed. This is made most evident during the film’s cycling race, as the two racing favorites use the fantasy of sex with a local woman as motivation for pulling ahead of one another.
The pastel colors, playful world building, and sexiness of “Cyclists” have made it a fan favorite on the animation festival circuit, winning prizes at Annecy, Animafest Zagreb, Hiroshima and more. Now, for the first time, you can watch the wonderfully NSFW film here. Preferably, out of sight from prude and prying eyes.
Ahead of the release, we reached out to director Veljko Popović to learn more about the film and his relationship with the artist who inspired it.
On inspiration:
“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.”On transitioning Vasko’s work to the screen:
“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.”On developing the story:
“From the first moment I thought about it, I discovered a whole world of stories and characters inside Vasko´s work. His work speaks to me and I somehow see whole personalities and stories unfold when I look at his sculptures and paintings. Maybe it’s because I recognize so many of my townspeople in his work and imprint on his images, the mentality and character of my hometown that inspired Vasko’s work, but it came reality easily to me.”On challenges faced:
“The pressure of translating Vasko´s work into animation was big for me personally. I felt a responsibility to do it just right because he is such a national icon and a great inspiration. The biggest challenge was maintaining the quality and character of his work but allowing people to express their artistic values and approach as well.”
On audience reactions:
“This film is the first I’ve ever made that people can laugh during. I enjoyed it every time it happened. It was great to see people googling and exploring Vasko’s work after watching the film.”On advice to aspiring filmmakers:
“Be honest in your work and work hard. Be prepared to challenge yourself and always try to surround yourself with people that are better than you at something. Learn from them and incorporate that knowledge in your work. Collaborate with other artists.”On what’s next:
“We have just finished our VR short animated film ‘Dislocation.’ My brother Milivoj Popovic and I directed that one. It is something totally different than ‘Cyclists.’ We are super excited to present the film to audiences worldwide!”
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