She was a voter for the Golden Globe Awards: Next year I'm visiting Hollywood
The prestigious Golden Globe film awards are presented every year in January in Hollywood and are considered a barometer ahead of the Oscars. This year, Kristina Kúdelová, a film journalist and graduate of the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University was one of the voters who decided which actor or film would receive the award. Her vote helped the actress Demi Moore, actor Adrien Brody, or the musical ‘Emilia Pérez’ to win the Golden Globes. How did she become a voter for the Golden Globe Awards? How many movies and shows did she have to watch? Which movie stars did she get to meet as a voter? She told Naša Univerzita (Our University) about the Golden Globes and the behind-the-scenes work of a film journalist.
This year, the Golden Globes were awarded on 5 January. For the first time, you were one of the voters who helped choose the winners. Did the films and actors you voted for actually win?
As soon as nominations in each category were announced, I thought the level of objectivity among the voters increased, because they chose the films and TV shows that I voted for. The final results and winners were not entirely in line with how I voted though. I felt that there was an intervention of, let’s say, "life diversity", which means that the winners had to reflect diverse stories and different minorities. Nevertheless, I'm very pleased that the Brutalist won in the Drama category. It is a the story of a Hungarian architect who tries to make it in America after World War II. Adrien Brody’s Golden Globe for his portrayal was also completely deserved.
How did you become a voter for the Golden Globes?
I have been a film journalist ever since I graduated from university in 2000. For over twenty years, I have regularly been attending film festivals in Cannes, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastián, Berlin, and others. I have an extensive network of contacts with journalists, distributors and publicists, i.e. the people who promote films. Last year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which is behind the Golden Globes, decided to expand its member base. They wanted to include journalists living in other countries in addition to foreign film journalists who live in the U.S. They probably got my contact from someone who works in distribution in Slovakia. I got the offer and I accepted it. There are over 300 of us in the association at the moment and each one has the right to vote on the Golden Globes Awards.
How does the voting work? How many movies did you have to watch?
There were at least 500 releases, including films and TV series (some of up to 10 episodes), stand-up performances, and animated films. First, we voted for the nominations in individual categories. Each of us had several votes, and the films were ranked, earning points. Once five nominations were selected in each category, we voted for the winners. In this next next phase we only had one vote each.
How can you watch so many movies and shows in such a short time?
In early June we had an initial Zoom meeting and were given access to a special platform - something like a smaller Netflix or HBO, containing all the nominated releases. They asked us to start watching everything that was on the platform already in June because by the end of the year the number of releases would be so high that we would no longer be able to keep up. Indeed, since October, every time I woke up I had at least 15 notifications on my phone for new movies or shows that were added to the platform in the U.S. while I was sleeping. I had to take a holiday to watch them. Another aspect was that I wasn’t just looking for a good movie or show, but one that was exceptional and deserving of an award.
Did you receive any compensation for your vote?
Being a member of the association is an honorary function, so I didn't receive anything. We were explicitly told not to accept gifts from production or distribution companies and I had to sign a statement that I would not accept "bribes", or I would be expelled from the association.
Has anyone tried to bribe you?
Not in a direct way, but there were more subtle attempts. I received packages with promotional materials on the releases, and very nice emails describing the filming experiences and various behind-the-scenes titbits to "lure" me to watch that particular release. As voters, we have priority access to filmmakers for interviews. When I received the offer to interview Ewan McGregor, who stars in the show Gentleman in Moscow, which they wanted to get nominated for the Globes, of course I watched the entire series. I found out that it became significantly better after the third episode. Earlier, I would often stop watching a show after two episodes because I found it too weak. I was also receiving email invitations to movie premieres: "Dear Ms. Kúdelová, the premiere attended by the creators will be at such and such cinema on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, you can park at such and such address around the corner." I also received an invitation to the Golden Globes ceremony.
Aren't you tempted to go and experience it first-hand?
Of course, but this year it was not possible physically or financially. However, me and the SME daily editor-in-chief Beata Balogová agreed that next year I will take unpaid leave during the busiest period so I can experience it. I’m interested in the American movie culture rather than the actors or directors, whom I get to see at festivals. If everything goes well, I'll be in Hollywood next winter.
Did you get to interview any stars as a voter?
Some of those with whom we were able to talk included Denzel Washington, Hugh Grant, Robbie Williams, Nicole Kidman, or Colin Farrell. Interviews with association members were usually conducted online or in a hybrid format. An invited group of journalists - both those present at the premiere in Hollywood and those connected via Zoom like me - had the opportunity to ask questions.
Did you also get to ask your own question?
Yes. I have a certain advantage because I don't just write film reviews like many of my colleagues in the association, but I'm also used to interviewing filmmakers. Sometimes that means I'm able to respond more quickly. I also had some exclusive interviews, like with Isabella Rossellini.
| Mgr. Kristína Kúdelová |
|---|
| is a film journalist, voter of the Golden Globe Awards. She is from Šala, studied French and journalism at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University Bratislava, and also speaks English, Spanish, Norwegian, Hungarian, and Italian. She has worked in the culture department of the SME daily for over 20 years. She regularly attends film festivals in Cannes, Berlin, San Sebastián and Karlovy Vary. As a member of FIPRESCI, the International Organization of Film Critics, she was a juror at the festivals of San Sebastián, Seville, Montreal and others. She is the author of two documentaries, and in 2021 she published the book ‘Interview’ (with Jana Sundermanová), in which she raises the curtain on encounters with actors, actresses, and film directors. |
You have been writing about film for the SME daily for over twenty years. Your work looks like a dream job from the outside – earning money by watching movies and TV shows, occasionally travelling to a film festival with a red carpet and movie stars posing on it. What is the reality?
The reality is that not every film deserves to be read about by the reader. As a film journalist, I am responsible for finding the ones that are worth reading about. That takes some time. I watch many more movies than I would like, and I do it mainly in my free time, in the evenings, on weekends. There are days when I actually get up in the morning and start watching movies at home, but I have to stop and take notes... But usually, I'm at work in the office, doing research, writing.
What is a film festival like from a journalist's perspective? Most people just see the pictures of the stars and celebrities from the red carpet and then read about the winners. Do you also have a chance to walk the red carpet or go to a party sponsored by a luxury champagne or jewellery brand?
For me, festivals are two work weekends and a whole week with no rest in between. In Cannes, for example, screenings start at 8:30 a.m., the competition film is usually on at 10:00 PM, and screenings go on until midnight. So I run among cinemas, managing to watch about four movies a day. In between there are press conferences, sometimes they offer me someone to interview, and I have to do my preparation. On top of all this, I have to write at least one article and send it to the editor. On some days my only meal is a huge ice cream. I could go to parties, but I would certainly regret it the next day. I could also walk the red carpet, but I don't have time to change.
Don't you ever feel like you have to force yourself to watch movies?
Of course. I try not to watch anything during my holidays - or if I do, it’s something I shouldn't even admit to watching - some silliness to relax.
Can you, as a professional, choose films you want to write about and those that you do not?
Partly, yes. One example is Marvel films, which I only review very exceptionally. I'm no longer their target group and I don't think I could analyse them in a way that a Marvel fan would appreciate. I also rarely dare to watch horror movies and science fiction is not exactly my cup of tea either. I understand these genres, but I don't feel completely competent in them. I choose films that, for some reason, I feel it is worth my while to review.
Are you critical when reviewing films?
When I was younger, I was more radical, more critical, but I guess that comes with being young. Today, I am more forgiving. I want to write about a film in a way that makes people want to go and see it in the cinema. Opinions about a film often differ even among fellow journalists, and I know it's legitimate for someone to like a film while someone else does not like it. I don't want to turn off or discourage anyone from watching a film that might have an audience somewhere. Everyone can see something appealing in a film, something that chimes with their personal experience.
You have conducted many interviews with actors, actresses, directors and other filmmakers from all over the world, including stars such as Johnny Depp, Catherine Deneuve, Javier Bardem or director Pedro Almódovar. We mostly know them from the silver screen, but what are they like in real life? Do big stars really act like stars?
I didn't experience a lot of this "star behaviour”. On the contrary, meeting a movie star and talking to them is usually a nice experience. I think that out of the thousands of young people aspiring to be actors, only those who are talented, but also intelligent, hardworking, kind, and equipped with certain social skills, will succeed. You don’t usually become a star just because you are handsome, there is much more behind it.
Can you remember any extraordinary meetings?
There was one moment when I sat next to Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Cannes and could ask them questions. And then Quentin Tarantino and Margot Robbie turned up to promote their film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. That’s when I said to myself: Well... I guess as a film journalist this is as much as I can ask for.
Last autumn at the San Sebastián Film Festival, you took part in a "strike" of film journalists who walked out of an interview with Johnny Depp. What was that about?
Film journalists like me are in a difficult situation at present as productions and distributors use more and more influencers for promotion. This restricts interview opportunities for traditional journalists. Instead of a 20-minute exclusive one-on-one interview we get 15 minutes among four journalists with three actors. In San Sebastián, originally six of us journalists were supposed to have 25 minutes with Johnny Depp. Eventually, they made us a group of twelve and gave us 15 minutes, while adding two more actors alongside Johnny Depp, in whom none of us were interested. We had a talk among ourselves and told the producers that we were all leaving, and that we were not interested. Within an hour, film magazines like Variety or the Hollywood Reporter wrote about our "strike" and supported us. Film festival directors, some film directors and actors also took our side. They are against turning film promotion into half-minute videos made by an influencer with a star on the red carpet. That would end any discussion about the releases and even the filmmakers themselves don't want that. We'll see how the situation develops. We now have something like our own "trade unions".
Do you have any unfulfilled wishes, someone whom you would like to meet and interview?
I really like Harrison Ford, so him. And the pinnacle of my career would be Bruce Springsteen or Robert Redford. At that point, I would probably say that I could quit. But it's not something that won’t let me sleep at night. Sometimes I need that outside perspective to remind me that what I'm doing is really something beautiful, special, so that I don't just see it as mere work and stress. To stop and remember that this is exactly what I dreamed about when I was in school.
Did your interest in film start in childhood? Do you remember the first movie you saw at the cinema?
Yes, even as a child I perceived films in a sensitive way. I don't remember the first movie I saw in the cinema, it was probably Winnetou or some French comedy. But I do remember one of the first profound film experiences, seeing The Mission with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro. I spent two weeks processing it.
Your alma mater is the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University, where you studied journalism and French. Why this choice?
I enjoyed journalism, I had been the editor-in-chief of the school magazine in high school, and I also won the Štúrovo pero (Štúr’s pen) award with a review of Martin Šulík's film Neha (Tenderness). To increase my chances of being accepted, I added French, which at that time could be studied as a double major. I had already learned some French because my mother was a teacher and translator in French.
Did you work with films during your studies?
Yes, very intensively. Our teachers struck the right balance between the freedom they gave us and the amount of studying we had to do. We were given a lot of room to grow. I rented films on videotapes at the Film Institute, read the Cahiers du Cinéma film magazine at the French Institute, I frequented the Áčko Student Film Festival, and in my fourth year I got an internship at a summer film school in Paris. The school was very accommodating and I got the opportunity to combine my hobby with my study. As part of my French classes, for example, I wrote a seminar paper on the Cannes Film Festival. As my diploma thesis, I made a documentary about Rudolf Sloboda, my favourite writer from the time I went to high school.
What are your memories of the years spent at the university?
Those were great times. For me, studying at the Faculty of Arts was something magical and I really appreciated it. I loved the building on Štúrova street where the journalism department is located, because we were a community. The building on Gondová street and the central university building on Šafárik square made an impression on me through their uniqueness. I could test my skills as journalist even while at school. If I wasn't completely sure during an exam, I tried to turn the situation around, and be the one asking questions. It worked out a few times and the teachers really enjoyed talking about what they were doing.
I also experienced dormitory life because I stayed at Štúrak for four years, and have great memories of it. I have lifelong friendships from my time at the dormitory and the school.
Barbora Tancerová