Born in Slovakia on February 13, 1982, Martin Kandra first studied to be an electrician, but always felt his passion was cinematography. In 2002, with only £50 in his pocket and without any English language skills he moved to London. Martin learned English out of children’s books with the goal of obtaining a higher education in a foreign language. The following few years presented him with the opportunity to work in the fashion industry, hospitality, event management and as a land surveyor, while staying dedicated to his goal of becoming a film director.
In 2007 he was accepted to the University of Westminster, after which he continued as a foreign exchange student at the University of Tampa in Florida. Martin demonstrated his potential when his short film, Don’t Make Me Wait, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. In 2014 Martin received a scholarship from Sam Houston State University and decided to enroll in the Masters Program in Social Media Platforms and Film Production.
That year proved to be the most challenging, but also one of the most fruitful times of his life. After an accident confined him to a wheelchair through his first semester at SHSU he returned to Slovakia, where he met Peter Nunez, the producer of Dancing With The Stars. Nunez offered him the opportunity of a lifetime. He was hired to establish a youth education program in film production, taught in English, at St. Francis from Assisi high school in Bratislava. While there, Kandra made his feature film debut as the writer and director of Karol’s Message, a teenage drama about the effects of bullying.
Martin now lives in Los Angeles where he continues to pursue his directing career. He believes that “life is the best author” and that every experience is an opportunity. This has certainly been the case in his journey.
A troubled 14 year old boy, bullied at school, discovers new strength and self confidence when his caring grandfather teaches him about the courage and faith of the young Karol Vojtila, the priest who would become Pope, John Paul II. Read More
For me the story of making Karol’s Message began in Huntsville, Texas. In the summer of 2014, I had enrolled in an MA program in Social Media Platforms at Sam Houston State University. Two weeks after arriving I woke up paralyzed in bed and was taken to Huntsville Memorial Hospital, where I was diagnosed, first with leukemia and about a week later with bone cancer. There I was, alone in a foreign country, desperate to see my family for one more time. For about a month I thought I was going to die. But later tests disproved the previous diagnosis and confirmed, instead, that it was reactive arthritis that had put me in a wheelchair.
For two months I was unable to walk. Refusing to give up, I Skype with my classmates, so as not to miss out on the class curriculum. University staff members kindly took care of me and helped me through the most difficult time of my life. Needing a fresh breath of motivation I returned back home to Slovakia for Christmas. That was the last place on Earth I expected would bring me the greatest opportunity of my life. In that “little, big fairyland” began the experience which would restore my lost faith through the series of life-changing surprises.
Vesmír tvorí každá hviezda, ktorá žiari po svojom
“Každý hlas v hlave, čo vám hovorí ‘nie’, nech sklapne a odteraz už len ‘ja to dokážem’.” - Martin Kandra (režisér a scenárista filmu Karolovo posolstvo)
Chvíle s ľuďmi, s ktorými si vyrástol, či vyrastáš... Okolo seba cítiš dobrú náladu, vidíš ich úsmev, pozrieš sa im do očí a zbadáš ich očakávanie. Túžia po tvojom úsmeve. Má ich utvrdiť v jedinom - je spokojný a šťastný. Svoje zaváhanie do sekundy napravíš a nikto nič nezaregistruje. Zrazu sa vlastne cítiš skvelo a sám seba sa pýtaš, čo to malo znamenať. Zapojíš sa do rozhovoru, tému otočíš na vtipnú príhodu, ktorá každého pobaví. Smeješ sa spolu s nimi. Úprimne. Gratulujem, dnes si sa stal hercom vo svojom vlastnom živote. Tvojou múzou môže byť hanba, snaha zaujať, či naopak túžba byť vždy nad vecou. Čo však tvorí podstatu každého umeleckého predstavenia, či umenia samotného? Skrytý význam, spracovanie, forma, či hlavná myšlienka? Nie. Podstatou je publikum. Chceš ho zaujať, presvedčiť a získať na svoju stranu. Svoj talent si v tomto smere vyšperkoval do dokonalosti. Uveril si vlastnej postave a tvoje publikum je nadšené. Občasné záblesky pochybností zatlačíš do úzadia, aby ťa nestiahli na zlé chodníčky.
Zlé chodníčky, až sem sme sa dostali. Byť sám sebou je chybou. Najmä v prípade, ak to tvoje pôvodné ja, ktoré sa snažíš vymazať, zrazu nezapadá do tvojho okolia. Film Karolovo posolstvo, rozpráva príbeh o niekom ako si ty. Tomáš je postavou, v ktorej sa nájdu mnohí z nás. Nie každý prežil identickú situáciu. No pocit samoty a stratenia sa uprostred dobre známeho prostredia zažívame mnohí na dennej báze. Či už je to nefungujúci medziľudský vzťah, nepochopenie rodičmi a najbližšími, pocit menejcennosti či neistota ohľadom vlastného presvedčenia, snov a ideálov, výsledkom sa stáva frustrácia, zakrývanie skutočných pocitov a odlúčenie od samého seba. Read More
