One of the oldest animation studios in Slovakia is owned by Ivan and David Popovič. My Studio was founded by the father and son in 1992. The largest part of their production is covered by a series about inventions If I Only Had a Screw Loose!. 36 chapters from the book by Ivan Popovič have been adapted for animation so far. The production depends on financial contributions and therefore there have already been several different production waves in its making. “They are caused by our financial capacity or, on the contrary, “incapacity””. The Popovič continue with the production of the 52-episode series and they are currently working on the final episodes with the support of the Audiovisual Fund. There are discussions about the possibility of renewing co-production with RTVS.

The series If I Only Had a Screw Loose!, produced by the Popovič is in a certain way connected to an older Czech film with a similar title ‘A screw loose”, Ivan Popovič recalls: ” In 1979, the director and artist Josef Kábrt presented his new film – a biographical film about Jules Verne – called A screw loose at the Gottwaldov festival. I also had a film at the festival; it was called the Dream Keeper. It was the first Slovak puppet animated film and it was awarded the Czechoslovak Film Award. Then we met for a glass of wine with Mr. Kábrt and with another great visionary of animated film, our Viktor Kubal in the evening. Screws that work well in the minds of inventors were really turning joyfully that evening. Maybe it was one of the screws from that festive evening that found its way into the title of my book and later also to its film version.”

In addition to the series If I Only Had a Screw Loose!, which is primarily intended for child viewers, there is a 20-minute film for adult audience being produced in My Studio at the moment. “This time it will be about love. But also about the ribaldry and the stupid things, which just bloom in recent years, gaining intensity and acquiring increasingly sophisticated forms”, reveals Ivan Popovič about his authorial intent. The film is still in the first version of the script and we are definitely still going to edit it. The authors want to follow up on their earlier project, the film Channel X.
Eva Perďochová