Interview with Martin Skalsky, Director of Cody

We know Martin Skalsky as a well established and renowned composer of award-winning movies like Ein Sommersandtraum (2011) and Swiss Hero (2014) and most notably composing music for the German television series Lindenstraße. Additionally, he regularly renders music for documentary films and concerts. But, this year, he has donned another creative hat from film making department, Direction.  

When Vivamost met Martin Skalsky at this year’s Zurich Film Festival, he was not alone. He brought along with him a special guest and the hero from his recent and praised the project, Cody. During our conversation with the director/composer of the first of its kind philosophical movie, we ran into several interesting aspects of the film, Cody.

Cody is a rescued dog in Romania and Martin adopted him during his Berlin trip. He was instantly taken aback by Cody’s deep eyes and solemn mood. No doubt that both, Cody and Martin, became buddies but there was something unsettling about Cody that made Martin to trace back his friend’s life journey. During this discovery journey, Martin learned Cody’s deep emotions for another dog called Blanche, with whom he shared the rescue home and then had to part ways because both were adopted by different owners. He also realized the disturbing lives of stray animals and how little we humans do for their well-being. Through Cody, Martin wants to interpret the transcending emotions shared by humans and man’s best friends.

As the black beauty, unaware of éclat, casually sits by his friend’s leg, Martin shares with Vivamost the true purpose of making this film. He was astonished at his uncovering Cody’s story episode by episode and in this process, he met many philosophical experts to better understand the reality of emotional quotient in animals that were thought to be exclusive only to humans. He further confesses that this film is just not about Cody but about all the stray animals that are being ill-treated across the world.

Cody – The dog days are over was screened as an official selection at the 15^th Zurich Film Festival and is releasing in the German-speaking part of Switzerland on October 24^th, 2019.

 

• Cody
• films
• Martin Skalsky
• ZFF