^{Credit: Hurikán (Jan Saska)}

Hurikán centers on a character who embarks on a perilous beer run to win over a woman he likes. Oh, and the titular character just so happens to be a humaoid boar. Why is he a humanoid boar? That’s one of the questions we asked director Jan Saska about his animated short, which has qualified for consideration at the 98th Academy Awards through its win at the HollyShorts Film Festival. We also talked about Hurikán’s comic debut, a coincidental resemblance to a Studio Ghibli character, and beer.

^{Credit: Jan Saska}

Q: Hurikán originally appeared in your comics. Can you tell me about the character’s creation?

A: The first comic was created rather quickly during a comic workshop. I started building it from the environment up. At the time, I had just finished a summer job on a construction site, which pulled me into the world of cheap bistros and plenty of beer. I wanted to depict this world through a guide who would naturally fit in while still being relatable to most of us. That’s how his pig-like appearance and alcoholic nature came to be.

Q: What prompted you to make Hurikán the central figure of a short film?

A: It came naturally with the idea to expand the Hurikán comic universe with an animated short.

Q: Between Hurikán and your previous short, Happy End, what do you think are the benefits of making a film in black and white?

A: It’s true that I’m not very good with color, but I don’t think the black and white decision was made in terms of benefits. In both cases, I felt it suited the story. Happy End is an absurd, grotesque [work] that references the silent-film era. And Hurikán is a mix of genres, one of them being film noir — with its anti-hero protagonist and an urban setting immersed in darkness.

Q: Like Porco Rosso, Hurikán is a humanoid pig/boar in a world of mostly humans. Yet, nobody finds him out of the ordinary. Was the Studio Ghibli film at all an inspiration?

A: I almost hesitate to admit it, but I hadn’t seen Porco Rosso when I made the first comic. So having a pig-like character that nobody questions in an otherwise human world was pure coincidence. Of course, the similarity was striking enough that people started asking about it, so I watched the film later and became a huge fan of Studio Ghibli. While making the short, we were already drawing a lot from Hayao Miyazaki’s work and even subtly quoting it in a few scenes.

Q: Hurikán’s nighttime misadventures across an urban obstacle course also reminded me of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours. Did that film ever cross your mind while making Hurikán?

A: It’s quite similar to the Porco Rosso situation. I like Martin Scorsese’s films, but I hadn’t seen After Hours — I didn’t even know about it until people started comparing it to Hurikán. But I was more than happy to catch up.

Q: The film doesn’t exactly end with Hurikán triumphing. Did you consider an ending where he makes it back to the beer stand, or was this the only ending you had in mind?

A: There are a few constants that keep repeating in Hurikán’s stories, and failure is one of them. So no — we never considered the possibility that he might actually succeed.

^{Credit: Hurikán (Jan Saska)}

Q: Is this the last we’ve seen of Hurikán, or would you like to bring the character back in future projects?

A: A few days ago, we submitted an application to the Czech Audiovisual Fund for support in writing the first draft of a feature-length Hurikán script. So if everything goes smoothly, we might see — let’s say in twenty or thirty years — a big summer adventure in which Hurikán and his two good friends head to the water to deal with his classic dilemma — beer or love.

Q: In addition to Hurikán himself, many of the characters we encounter have distinct designs and personalities, especially the woman he had a crush on. Would you ever consider making her the focus of a short?

A: Not really. We had a backstory for Bára — this girl character — but I think part of her charm comes from a certain mystery.

Q: Hurikán is eligible for Oscar consideration through its Best Animated Short win at the HollyShorts Film Festival. If you make the shortlist, will you celebrate with a keg?

A: I haven’t really thought about it yet, but maybe it’s a good idea to have a keg ready — just in case.

Q: Last question: favorite beer?

A: A lot!

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!