The Slovenian-Italian filmmaker and writer Leo Černic studied film and television directing at the University of Ljubljana and animation at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Turin. His work explores weird, quirky characters and their vulnerabilities, crafting stories that blend humour, emotions and absurdity.
What was your starting point for „Cosmonauts“?
The longing and sincerity of outsiders is a theme that has always been very close to my heart. I am deeply moved by how strongly we strive to love, and by everything we are willing to do to make that happen. The starting point for Cosmonauts was my genuine curiosity in exploring how loneliness and desire interact with each other, shaping this kind of love that reveals our vulnerabilities and sets the universe in motion. I loved the paradox of making a film about thousands of characters searching for someone while hidden in a remote corner of space – perhaps the only place where they can finally be themselves.
Do you have a favorite moment in the film? Which one and why this one in particular?
I feel a strong connection to the afterparty scene, where, after a hedonistic peak of sex, dancing and drugs, all the Cosmonauts cuddle as they sleep. This moment of melancholy reveals a deeper layer of the characters and of the cruise itself. I love the contrast that emerges from this warmth and fragility – it shows not only that unconventional sexual practices and love can coexist, but also the profound sense of loneliness that can often stem from being just different.
What do you like about the short form?
Apart from the inherent freedom of the short form, I feel it is often much more direct than feature-length storytelling. Storywise, it allows for a more immediate impact, leaving the audience with far more questions that a longer format might feel forced to answer.
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PRESS / REVIEWS / INTERVIEWS
Teddy Award Interview with Leo Černic
„Černic’s film balances humour with melancholy, reminding us that, even far from this Earth and among the stars, desire remains stubbornly earthly, and that the search for connection, however cosmic in scale, is always intimately human, fragile, and urgent.“
review in Curation Hour
https://www.3sat.de/kultur/kulturzeit/berlinale-zoom-filme-ueber-liebe-naehe-und-begehren-100.html
TV Review and Interview in 3sat Kulturzeit
„Il cortometraggio animato, sostenuto dal Fondo Audiovisivo Fvg, debutta oggi nella sezione Shorts. Una riflessione visionaria sulla libertà e il desiderio tra le stelle“
Article in Il Piccolo
„Leo Černic schafft eine aufgeregte wie berührende Weltraumreise, die die Vorstellungen und Begehren seiner Hauptfiguren trotz oder gerade wegen seines kaleidoskopartigen Chaos durchgehend wahr- und ernstnimmt.“
Review in Riecks Filmkritiken
„“To je film o pripadnosti, seksu in osamljenosti, predvsem pa film o ljubezni,“ pravi Leo Černic o svojem animiranem filmu Kozmonavti, ki bo premierno prikazan v tekmovalnem programu kratkometražcev na 76. Berlinalu.“
Article in MMC RTV Slovenija
„V tekmovalni program kratkih filmov letošnjega 76. filmskega festivala Berlinale, ki bo potekal od 2. do 22. februarja, se je uvrstil kratki animirani film Kozmonavti režiserja Lea Černica, ki je tudi scenarist in glavni animator filma ter je zanj ustvaril še likovno podobo. Film Kozmonavti bo na tem mednarodnem festivalu doživel svetovno premiero.“
Article in megafon.si
„Kratki film slovenskega režiserja, doma iz Ronk, se je uvrstil v tekmovalni program 76. filmskega festivala Berlinale“
Article in Primorski dnevnik
„Gane me, kako močno stremimo k temu, da ljubimo, in kaj vse smo pripravljeni narediti, da se to uresniči. To je film o pripadnosti, seksu in osamljenosti, predvsem pa film o ljubezni. O ljubezni tiste vrste, ki razkrije naše šibkosti in poganja vesolje:“
Article and interview in Mladina
Berlinale Shorts 