This week in our Four River Friday section, we bring you a conversation with David Padovan from the Blank Association, the director of the film Dust Under The Bed, which won the award for best fiction film at the 25th Youth Film Festival.
The film follows a young couple who move in together during the coronavirus pandemic. She is slightly melancholic, and he has a hard time coping with that trait of hers.
“The real question in this movie is whether the dust from the title really refers to the dust under the bed, or rather to the dust which has settled over the relationship between the two protagonists – real as much as metaphorical. With the dullness and inertia of the life that they share undercut with only sporadic sparks of passion, it is clear that they need to be shaken out of their stupor. Will they be? The maker of this film, who seems much more mature than his age, has the answer”, film critic Boško Picula commented .
Read all about how David’s interest in photography grew into a love of film, how he organizes his film shoots during the pandemic, and which quote best describes his idea-making process. Follow the conversations with other young filmmakers every Friday in our Four River Friday section.
1. How did your love of film start?
Around seventh grade I developed an interest in photography and I started researching that area. Not long after, I realized that something was missing for me in photography, no matter how interesting it was. I soon realized that a frozen moment in time was not as exciting as the movement of the outside world, and since I enjoyed writing, video/film was the natural next step.

2. What was it like for you to participate in last year’s online festival and how do you manage to organize film shoots during the pandemic?
I’ve never liked doing something online that is normally done in person, so I can’t say I was overwhelmed with impressions, but the organizational team of FRFF did their best and successfully created an experience of live cinema which was enjoyable in the end. Film shoots go smoothly until there is a scene that could violate the safety measures, but that can be expected these days.
3. How do you choose ideas for your films?
Someone once said: “You can’t write if you haven’t lived.” So there’s that.
4. How are your films coming along this year? Are you still a member of Blank and do you have any inside info on how many of your applications we can expect at the Youth Film Festival this year?
Something is always going on, Blank is kneading the dough, shaping it and putting it in the oven, so something is sure to come out.