Prague, Aug 17 (CTK) – Czech film-maker Tomas Burian, 32, set out on a more than 1500-km-long walking trip from the Czech Republic to Sweden on August 15 with the aim to support independent Czech film, daily Pravo writes yesterday.
“My trip is a metaphor of independent film,” said Burian, from Hradec Kralove, who left with 20 kilos in his backpack.
While a commercial production crew hires a plane to fly to the film locations easily, independent film-makers must make do with their minimum means, Burian, who used the pseudonym Brian in his films, explained.
He said he felt no fears of an assault or solitude before the trip.
“I will have a tent and food. But someone may let me to stay overnight at their place. I will be shooting video-blogs and sending messages on our YouTube or via social networks during the hike,” Burian told Pravo.
Independent films are not shot for money, but they are rather funded by their film-makers themselves, he said.
“We have established the United Film group in their support in Hradec Kralove. It is an association of amateur film-makers who shoot mainly short films. We have managed to present it on TV as well,” Burian said.
The association offers help to beginners, including equipment and script editing, and it organises seminars, Burian said, adding that the distribution of independent films may be a bigger problem than their creation alone.
The Unitedwalk project of hiking to Sweden is one of informal ways of independent film support.
“I would like to map the independent film production in the countries that I will cross – Poland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. We know its conditions in the United States and the Czech Republic, but we have no idea about the neighbouring countries,” Burian added.
He has put the length of his walking tour at two months if he just kept walking.
“However, since I want to meet people from the independent production, both film-makers and organisations supporting them, during my trip, I will need about three months. I believe that some people will join me on a part of the route,” Burian added.
