Co-production forum marks 20th anniversary this year.
Laurynas Bareisa, winner of the 2021 best film prize at Venice’s Orrizonti section for his debut Pilgrims, is among the directors presenting new projects at the 20th edition of the Sofia Meetings co-production forum (22-26 March).
The Lithuanian director is bringing Drowning Dry to Sofia where it is one of five projects in a section dedicated to second feature films.
The section’s line-up also includes The Last Slap by Italian director Matteo Oleotto whose debut feature Zoran, My Nephew The Idiot premiered in Venice’s Critics Week in 2013.
The Last Slap’s...
Laurynas Bareisa, winner of the 2021 best film prize at Venice’s Orrizonti section for his debut Pilgrims, is among the directors presenting new projects at the 20th edition of the Sofia Meetings co-production forum (22-26 March).
The Lithuanian director is bringing Drowning Dry to Sofia where it is one of five projects in a section dedicated to second feature films.
The section’s line-up also includes The Last Slap by Italian director Matteo Oleotto whose debut feature Zoran, My Nephew The Idiot premiered in Venice’s Critics Week in 2013.
The Last Slap’s...
- 3/17/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Just two days after a Russian airstrike in Kyiv killed three citizens, damaged a power plant, and caused significant blackouts, the Ukrainian National Film Critics Circle went ahead with their annual award ceremony.
Known as Kinokolo, the ceremony took place in an underground bunker in Kyiv on Thursday, with national broadcaster Suspilne Kultura airing the event live. First established in 2018, Kinokolo recognizes the best in national Ukrainian cinema, and is hosted on the first day of the annual Kyiv Critic’s Week. This year’s Critic Week runs until October 26.
“Pamfir,” which premiered this year in Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight section, was the big winner of the night, taking the best feature prize. Director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, who made his feature film debut with the drama about a man who returns to his small town and is sucked back into his criminal past, nabbed best director, best film screenplay, and discovery...
Known as Kinokolo, the ceremony took place in an underground bunker in Kyiv on Thursday, with national broadcaster Suspilne Kultura airing the event live. First established in 2018, Kinokolo recognizes the best in national Ukrainian cinema, and is hosted on the first day of the annual Kyiv Critic’s Week. This year’s Critic Week runs until October 26.
“Pamfir,” which premiered this year in Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight section, was the big winner of the night, taking the best feature prize. Director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, who made his feature film debut with the drama about a man who returns to his small town and is sucked back into his criminal past, nabbed best director, best film screenplay, and discovery...
- 10/21/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
In yet another sign of the continued resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people, the fifth edition of the Ukrainian National Film Critics Circle Award, dubbed Kinokolo, pressed ahead with its ceremony on Thursday, in spite of an ongoing war in the country.
The ceremony was held in a bunker in Kyiv and broadcasted live on national public TV channel Suspilne Kultura from the underground studio, remarkably just days after Russian airstrikes targeted key infrastructure in the capital city and destroyed 30 of the country’s power stations, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Local film critics recognized projects such as Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk’s Cannes Director’s Fortnight title Pamfir, Maryna Er Horbach’s Klondike and Natalka Vorozhbyt’s Are you Ok?
Pamfir, a drama about a man who faces small town corruption in Western Ukraine after returning from working abroad, came away with the most awards, nabbing Best Feature Film and...
The ceremony was held in a bunker in Kyiv and broadcasted live on national public TV channel Suspilne Kultura from the underground studio, remarkably just days after Russian airstrikes targeted key infrastructure in the capital city and destroyed 30 of the country’s power stations, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Local film critics recognized projects such as Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk’s Cannes Director’s Fortnight title Pamfir, Maryna Er Horbach’s Klondike and Natalka Vorozhbyt’s Are you Ok?
Pamfir, a drama about a man who faces small town corruption in Western Ukraine after returning from working abroad, came away with the most awards, nabbing Best Feature Film and...
- 10/21/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Locarno kicked off its latest edition on Wednesday evening with the international festival premiere of David Leitch’s latest action-comedy Bullet Train and a surprise video call from Brad Pitt to celebrate the event’s 75th anniversary.
The packed opening night celebration in Locarno’s famed Piazza Grande square was a return to form for the festival after a full cancellation in 2020 and a slimmed-down version last year.
Bullet Train received hearty applause and cheers from festivalgoers as the screening was introduced with a surprise video call from the movie’s star Brad Pitt.
“Congratulations to the whole festival crew on your 75th anniversary. It’s a fantastic achievement and what an honor it is for us to be a part of this festival with our movie Bullet Train,” he said.
Pitt stars as an experienced assassin whose first day back at work is complicated by a series of other...
The packed opening night celebration in Locarno’s famed Piazza Grande square was a return to form for the festival after a full cancellation in 2020 and a slimmed-down version last year.
Bullet Train received hearty applause and cheers from festivalgoers as the screening was introduced with a surprise video call from the movie’s star Brad Pitt.
“Congratulations to the whole festival crew on your 75th anniversary. It’s a fantastic achievement and what an honor it is for us to be a part of this festival with our movie Bullet Train,” he said.
Pitt stars as an experienced assassin whose first day back at work is complicated by a series of other...
- 8/3/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The spectre of the war in Ukraine loomed large at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on Tuesday as it hosted the annual Work in Progress showcase of the Ukrainian Odesa International Film Festival (Oiff).
In its 13th edition, the showcase normally takes place within the framework of the Oiff, which was due to unfold in its Black Sea resort home from July 23-30 but was cancelled due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“It’s a strange feeling as we were preparing to run our festival in Odesa as normal until February 24, and now we have to travel around other festivals to present our projects but it’s a way of carrying on,” festival director Anna Machuh told Deadline.
“I hope that by next year, these films will be completed, and we’ll be watching them in cinemas in Ukraine and in Odesa at the festival,...
In its 13th edition, the showcase normally takes place within the framework of the Oiff, which was due to unfold in its Black Sea resort home from July 23-30 but was cancelled due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“It’s a strange feeling as we were preparing to run our festival in Odesa as normal until February 24, and now we have to travel around other festivals to present our projects but it’s a way of carrying on,” festival director Anna Machuh told Deadline.
“I hope that by next year, these films will be completed, and we’ll be watching them in cinemas in Ukraine and in Odesa at the festival,...
- 7/5/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
In a typical year, fans of Eastern European cinema, after enjoying the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in early July, would hop on a two-hour flight to Odesa, Ukraine for the Odesa International Film Festival, the No. 1 annual event for Ukrainian cinema.
2022, of course, is a far from typical. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has made the Oiff untenable this year, but festivals across the region are showing cross-border solidarity with Ukraine filmmakers and the country’s stricken local industry. The PriFest in Kosovo (July 26-31) has agreed to cooperate with the Oiff on a series of special screenings of full-length and short films by Ukrainian debutant directors, and Poland’s Warsaw Film Festival will take over the screening of Oiff’s entire competition program at its event, which runs Oct. 14-23.
In Karlovy Vary, meanwhile, the festival is devoting a section...
In a typical year, fans of Eastern European cinema, after enjoying the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in early July, would hop on a two-hour flight to Odesa, Ukraine for the Odesa International Film Festival, the No. 1 annual event for Ukrainian cinema.
2022, of course, is a far from typical. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has made the Oiff untenable this year, but festivals across the region are showing cross-border solidarity with Ukraine filmmakers and the country’s stricken local industry. The PriFest in Kosovo (July 26-31) has agreed to cooperate with the Oiff on a series of special screenings of full-length and short films by Ukrainian debutant directors, and Poland’s Warsaw Film Festival will take over the screening of Oiff’s entire competition program at its event, which runs Oct. 14-23.
In Karlovy Vary, meanwhile, the festival is devoting a section...
- 6/28/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ukrainian industry players gathered in Cannes are determined to show they can provide a variety of new content, as well as stories that look beyond the current Russian invasion.
“I have been repeating this since 2014 — it’s a trap to be only associated with war,” says producer Julia Sinkevych, now behind Marysia Nikitiuk’s upcoming feature “Lucky Girl.”
Presented at the Cannes Market as part of the Ukrainian Features Preview, it shows a successful TV star who has everything, until she is diagnosed with cancer.
As noted by Ukrainian Institute’s Natalie Movshovych, several projects focus on the 1990s, including “When We Were 15” — awarded at Meeting Point Vilnius in April — “Do You Love Me?” by Tonia Noyabriova, Philip Sotnychenko’s “Lapalissade” and “Rock. Paper. Grenade” by Iryna Tsilyk, also behind festival favorite “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange.”
“We have to show as much range as we can now.
“I have been repeating this since 2014 — it’s a trap to be only associated with war,” says producer Julia Sinkevych, now behind Marysia Nikitiuk’s upcoming feature “Lucky Girl.”
Presented at the Cannes Market as part of the Ukrainian Features Preview, it shows a successful TV star who has everything, until she is diagnosed with cancer.
As noted by Ukrainian Institute’s Natalie Movshovych, several projects focus on the 1990s, including “When We Were 15” — awarded at Meeting Point Vilnius in April — “Do You Love Me?” by Tonia Noyabriova, Philip Sotnychenko’s “Lapalissade” and “Rock. Paper. Grenade” by Iryna Tsilyk, also behind festival favorite “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange.”
“We have to show as much range as we can now.
- 5/20/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Valentyn Vasyanovych’s film to open on May 6.
Film Movement has acquired North American rights from New Europe Film Sales to Ukrainian filmmaker Valentyn Vasyanovych’s timely Venice 2021 selection Reflection.
The drama centres on a Ukrainian surgeon who tries to rebuild his life after he is released by Russian forces and is a chilling foreshadowing of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war that erupted in late February.
The story opens in 2014 as Ukrainian surgeon Serhiy is captured by the Russians after he enlists to fight against them in the contested southeastern Donbas region.
As a prisoner of war he witnesses horrifying scenes...
Film Movement has acquired North American rights from New Europe Film Sales to Ukrainian filmmaker Valentyn Vasyanovych’s timely Venice 2021 selection Reflection.
The drama centres on a Ukrainian surgeon who tries to rebuild his life after he is released by Russian forces and is a chilling foreshadowing of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war that erupted in late February.
The story opens in 2014 as Ukrainian surgeon Serhiy is captured by the Russians after he enlists to fight against them in the contested southeastern Donbas region.
As a prisoner of war he witnesses horrifying scenes...
- 4/14/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Film Movement has acquired all North American rights to two previous Ukrainian Oscar entries “Bad Roads” and “Donbass,” as well as the Sundance award-winning documentary “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange.”
“Bad Roads,” which was Ukraine’s Oscar candidate last fall, marks the feature debut of playwright-turned-filmmaker, Natalya Vorozhbit. The politically minded omnibus film, which premiered at Venice in 2020, is adapted from Vorozhbit’s play and unfolds in the recently invaded Eastern region of Donbass.
“Bad Roads” features four stories shedding light on life in the front-line war zone of Donbass: one man alleging to be a schoolmaster is accosted by the military at a checkpoint, two teenagers wait for their soldier boyfriends in a dilapidated town square; a journalist is held captive and gets brutally assaulted; and a young woman apologizes to an elderly couple for running over their chickens.
Variety’s review said the film “gains extra...
“Bad Roads,” which was Ukraine’s Oscar candidate last fall, marks the feature debut of playwright-turned-filmmaker, Natalya Vorozhbit. The politically minded omnibus film, which premiered at Venice in 2020, is adapted from Vorozhbit’s play and unfolds in the recently invaded Eastern region of Donbass.
“Bad Roads” features four stories shedding light on life in the front-line war zone of Donbass: one man alleging to be a schoolmaster is accosted by the military at a checkpoint, two teenagers wait for their soldier boyfriends in a dilapidated town square; a journalist is held captive and gets brutally assaulted; and a young woman apologizes to an elderly couple for running over their chickens.
Variety’s review said the film “gains extra...
- 3/8/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Natalya Vorozhbit had four days left in the production of her sophomore film “Demons” when the bombs arrived.
The playwright-turned-filmmaker, whose debut “Bad Roads” was the Ukrainian Oscar submission last fall, was shooting “Demons” in the city of Myrhorod on Wednesday when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As airstrikes, tanks, and troops arrived across the country, the Myrhorod Air Base was among the targets. By then, Vorozhbit’s cast and crew retreated. On Thursday, Vorozhbit found herself in a makeshift bomb shelter with relatives on the outskirts of Kyiv, uncertain about the future of her project but committed to finishing it.
“A lot of people are leaving, but it’s my choice to stay,” she said in an interview through a translator over Zoom. “It’s very important for me to be here. I’m inspired and stimulated by being in Ukraine. I will only leave if Russia...
The playwright-turned-filmmaker, whose debut “Bad Roads” was the Ukrainian Oscar submission last fall, was shooting “Demons” in the city of Myrhorod on Wednesday when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As airstrikes, tanks, and troops arrived across the country, the Myrhorod Air Base was among the targets. By then, Vorozhbit’s cast and crew retreated. On Thursday, Vorozhbit found herself in a makeshift bomb shelter with relatives on the outskirts of Kyiv, uncertain about the future of her project but committed to finishing it.
“A lot of people are leaving, but it’s my choice to stay,” she said in an interview through a translator over Zoom. “It’s very important for me to be here. I’m inspired and stimulated by being in Ukraine. I will only leave if Russia...
- 2/25/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In the bleak omnibus film “Bad Roads,” four tension-filled tales set along the dangerous byways of Ukraine’s Donbass region during wartime illustrate survival strategies practiced by civilians. Although the various episodes don’t quite add up to a strong narrative whole, they do gain extra resonance from current events in this troubled region. Naturalistic in visual style and performance, they also introduce a new talent to watch in debuting writer-director Natalya Vorozhbit, better known as a playwright. The film, adapted from her earlier play, premiered in Critics’ Week of the 2020 Venice Film Festival. The Ukrainian Film Academy named the helmer “Discovery of the Year,” along with other kudos.
The four segments vary in length, with the first two each slightly over the 20-minute mark, the third — and most difficult to watch — clocking in at approximately 43 minutes, and the last, a tight 15 minutes. Each revolves around a fraught encounter that...
The four segments vary in length, with the first two each slightly over the 20-minute mark, the third — and most difficult to watch — clocking in at approximately 43 minutes, and the last, a tight 15 minutes. Each revolves around a fraught encounter that...
- 12/21/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
In the 15 years since its founding, Star Media has grown into an international media group and distribution powerhouse, with a catalog boasting more than 7,500 hours of content available in more than 60 countries worldwide. But the company remains true to its roots as a production house, and its focus is still on the production of high-end content with an emphasis on series that boast both local and international appeal, according to Star Media president Vlad Riashyn.
The company’s portfolio of local content includes more than 65 series and feature films. Currently in production is a Russian-language adaptation of the hit Israeli crime drama “Kvodo,” whose American remake, “Your Honor,” starring Bryan Cranston, aired on Showtime. The series follows a powerful judge whose son kills a motorcyclist in a hit-and-run accident. When the victim turns out to be the son of a local mafia kingpin, the judge and his son find themselves...
The company’s portfolio of local content includes more than 65 series and feature films. Currently in production is a Russian-language adaptation of the hit Israeli crime drama “Kvodo,” whose American remake, “Your Honor,” starring Bryan Cranston, aired on Showtime. The series follows a powerful judge whose son kills a motorcyclist in a hit-and-run accident. When the victim turns out to be the son of a local mafia kingpin, the judge and his son find themselves...
- 6/22/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Idea is a solution to the problem of closed cinemas and no physical events.
Hotels will host screening rooms and red carpets for local residents as part of the 26th Vilnius International Film Festival, which is taking place from March 18 – April 24 this year.
The Lithuanian festival has partnered with six of the city’s hotels for what it describes as “the full festival experience”, including red carpets and step-and-repeat marketing boards in communal areas; and films playing in hotel rooms that will have been transformed into screening rooms.
There will also be goody bags and special decorations in the hotel rooms,...
Hotels will host screening rooms and red carpets for local residents as part of the 26th Vilnius International Film Festival, which is taking place from March 18 – April 24 this year.
The Lithuanian festival has partnered with six of the city’s hotels for what it describes as “the full festival experience”, including red carpets and step-and-repeat marketing boards in communal areas; and films playing in hotel rooms that will have been transformed into screening rooms.
There will also be goody bags and special decorations in the hotel rooms,...
- 3/11/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The film is being sold at AFM by Reason8 Films.
UK-based sales company Reason8 Films has closed a North American deal with Gravitas Ventures for Sweet River.
Gravitas is looking to release the Australian mystery thriller theatrically in April next year. The deal was negotiated between Anna Krupnova of Reason8 and Brett Rogalsky of Gravitas.
Sweet River tells a story of Hannah, whose search for her son’s body leads her to a sleepy rural town that hides dark secrets. It’s the narrative directorial debut for Justin McMillan (Storm Surfers 3D); Ashley McLeod is the producer.
The cast includes Lisa Kay,...
UK-based sales company Reason8 Films has closed a North American deal with Gravitas Ventures for Sweet River.
Gravitas is looking to release the Australian mystery thriller theatrically in April next year. The deal was negotiated between Anna Krupnova of Reason8 and Brett Rogalsky of Gravitas.
Sweet River tells a story of Hannah, whose search for her son’s body leads her to a sleepy rural town that hides dark secrets. It’s the narrative directorial debut for Justin McMillan (Storm Surfers 3D); Ashley McLeod is the producer.
The cast includes Lisa Kay,...
- 11/11/2020
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Venice 2020: The features, both produced or co-produced in Europe, took home the Grand Prize and the Verona Film Club Award, respectively. At an unusual but highly successful Venice Film Festival this year, it’s finally prize-giving time. The International Film Critics’ Week, run by the National Union of Italian Film Critics, has announced the awards of its 35th edition. The international jury, composed of Wendy Mitchell, Eugenio Renzi and Jay Weissberg, gave the Grand Prize of €5,000 (made possible by Taranto Town Hall) to Ghosts, the debut by Turkish filmmaker Azra Deniz Okyay. The jury said it was “a vivid portrayal of the tensions currently tearing apart Turkish society; the film boldly explores the intersection of public and private anxiety”. The Verona Film Club Award, decided upon by a jury made up of members of the Verona Film Club aged under 35, went to Bad Roads by Natalya Vorozhbit from...
Before this year’s Venice Film Festival comes to a close with Saturday’s announcement of the official selection awards, the fest’s autonomous sections got the ball rolling Friday with their own prizes.
Coming out on top in the Venice Days program was Russian director Philipp Yuryev’s debut feature “The Whaler Boy,” an offbeat story of a teenage whale hunter on the Bering Strait, who sets out to meet the webcam model with whom he’s become obsessed.
The film received the Director’s Award — which carries a cash prize of €20,000 for Yuryev and Paris-based sales agent Loco Films — from a jury headed by Nadav Lapid, the Israeli auteur who won last year’s Berlinale Golden Bear for “Synonyms.” Unusually, the jury’s extended deliberations were live-streamed to the public. In a statement, Lapid praised Yuryev’s film for “[depicting] a world that has not yet been explored with...
Coming out on top in the Venice Days program was Russian director Philipp Yuryev’s debut feature “The Whaler Boy,” an offbeat story of a teenage whale hunter on the Bering Strait, who sets out to meet the webcam model with whom he’s become obsessed.
The film received the Director’s Award — which carries a cash prize of €20,000 for Yuryev and Paris-based sales agent Loco Films — from a jury headed by Nadav Lapid, the Israeli auteur who won last year’s Berlinale Golden Bear for “Synonyms.” Unusually, the jury’s extended deliberations were live-streamed to the public. In a statement, Lapid praised Yuryev’s film for “[depicting] a world that has not yet been explored with...
- 9/11/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
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