In the grasslands of Southern Ukraine, between Crimea and mainland Ukraine, a natural history researcher named Yura (Dmytro Bahnenko) is hoping to track down and photograph a groundhog. If he succeeds, the land can be protected as a European reserve. This apparently simple premise — the kernel at the outset of “The Editorial Office” — can’t begin to hint at the rugged tapestry of thematic and topical threads that Roman Bondarchuk’s second narrative feature proceeds to weave together, the unique product of both the director’s vision and ambition, and also of the circumstances under which it gestated.
Set and shot just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and completed during the war, the film closes with a dedication to editor Viktor Onysko, who lost his life in the conflict during a combat mission.
While attempting to track his groundhog target, Yura catches some arsonists on camera as they set a forest fire.
Set and shot just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and completed during the war, the film closes with a dedication to editor Viktor Onysko, who lost his life in the conflict during a combat mission.
While attempting to track his groundhog target, Yura catches some arsonists on camera as they set a forest fire.
- 2/17/2024
- by Catherine Bray
- Variety Film + TV
The Winds of War: Bondarchuk Straddles a World On a Wire
While it should play like an absurdist black comedy, Roman Bondarchuk’s sophomore narrative feature The Editorial Office arrives amidst a violent, turbulent atmosphere which somewhat nullifies its prescience. Much like his enjoyably weird 2018 debut, Volcano, he mines subversiveness in surreality, but with his latest, which began production prior to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, there’s also an inescapable queasiness in what plays like a prologue to an ongoing madness the eventual distance of which will eventually allow the film a certain novel vibrancy as a time capsule.…...
While it should play like an absurdist black comedy, Roman Bondarchuk’s sophomore narrative feature The Editorial Office arrives amidst a violent, turbulent atmosphere which somewhat nullifies its prescience. Much like his enjoyably weird 2018 debut, Volcano, he mines subversiveness in surreality, but with his latest, which began production prior to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, there’s also an inescapable queasiness in what plays like a prologue to an ongoing madness the eventual distance of which will eventually allow the film a certain novel vibrancy as a time capsule.…...
- 2/16/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Ukrainian director Roman Bondarchuk and his co-writers, Alla Tyutyunnyk - who is also the filmmaker’s mum - Dar'ya Averchenko return to the southern Ukraine for their satirical and often surreal follow-up to 2018’s Volcano. Like their first film, the action centres on a protagonist who becomes a sort of innocent abroad in events he can’t quite wrap his head around or extract himself from.
Yuri, is a biologist on the trail of rare steppe marmots when he witnesses a group of arsonists starting a forest blaze. His bid to expose the culprits sees him sucked into a world of fake news and political gamesmanship in the chaotic, pre-Russian invasion Kherson region.
The crux of the film hinges on truth and lies. Not...
Yuri, is a biologist on the trail of rare steppe marmots when he witnesses a group of arsonists starting a forest blaze. His bid to expose the culprits sees him sucked into a world of fake news and political gamesmanship in the chaotic, pre-Russian invasion Kherson region.
The crux of the film hinges on truth and lies. Not...
- 2/16/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ukrainian director Roman Bondarchuk and his co-writers, Alla Tyutyunnyk - who is also the filmmaker’s mum - Dar'ya Averchenko return to the southern Ukraine for their satirical and often surreal follow-up to 2018’s Volcano. Like their first film, the action centres on a protagonist who becomes a sort of innocent abroad in events he can’t quite wrap his head around or extract himself from.
Yuri, is a biologist on the trail of rare steppe marmots when he witnesses a group of arsonists starting a forest blaze. His bid to expose the culprits sees him sucked into a world of fake news and political gamesmanship in the chaotic, pre-Russian invasion Kherson region.
The crux of the film hinges on truth and lies. Not...
Yuri, is a biologist on the trail of rare steppe marmots when he witnesses a group of arsonists starting a forest blaze. His bid to expose the culprits sees him sucked into a world of fake news and political gamesmanship in the chaotic, pre-Russian invasion Kherson region.
The crux of the film hinges on truth and lies. Not...
- 2/16/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
War in Ukraine was a distant rumble in the background of Roman Bondarchuk’s feature debut Volcano. Now, as he reteams with co-writers Alla Tyutyunnik, who is also his mum, and Dar'ya Averchenko to write again about the southern part of Ukraine, the sound of the impending Russian invasion is louder but still feels one step removed from the everyday chaos of life on the ground.
“Fake. That’s our reality,” says a journalist, summing up the tension at the heart of this absurdist comedy drama. The Editorial Office is, indeed, a place where stories are not only created but bought and paid for and their relationship to reality is optional. Even Kafkaesque ideas are subject to chaos. All of which is a far cry from the life of Yura. His work is all about quantifiable facts - specifically, documenting examples of the...
“Fake. That’s our reality,” says a journalist, summing up the tension at the heart of this absurdist comedy drama. The Editorial Office is, indeed, a place where stories are not only created but bought and paid for and their relationship to reality is optional. Even Kafkaesque ideas are subject to chaos. All of which is a far cry from the life of Yura. His work is all about quantifiable facts - specifically, documenting examples of the...
- 2/16/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Butterfly Vision producer Darya Bassel and Call Me By Your Name executive producer Naima Abed are among 17 independent producers selected for Ace Animation Special, the animation business programme of European network Ace Producers.
The 17 producers will take part in the workshop from March 19-24 in Dingle, Ireland, in collaboration with the Animation Dingle festival.
Scroll down for the full list of producers
Now in its fifth edition, the workshop aims to show how to diversify business by developing and producing feature and series animation productions, for theatrical, broadcast and streaming release.
Producers will attend with animated features and series projects in early development,...
The 17 producers will take part in the workshop from March 19-24 in Dingle, Ireland, in collaboration with the Animation Dingle festival.
Scroll down for the full list of producers
Now in its fifth edition, the workshop aims to show how to diversify business by developing and producing feature and series animation productions, for theatrical, broadcast and streaming release.
Producers will attend with animated features and series projects in early development,...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
A Different Man.The Berlinale have begun to announce the first few titles selected for the 74th edition of their festival, set to take place from February 15 through 21, 2024. This page will be updated as further sections are announced.COMPETITIONAnother End (Piero Messina)Architecton (Victor Kossakovsky)Black Tea (Abderrahmane Sissako)La Cocina (Alonso Ruiz Palacios) Dahomey (Mati Diop)A Different Man (Aaron Schimberg)The Empire (Bruno Dumont)Gloria! (Margherita Vicario)Suspended Time (Olivier Assayas)From Hilde, With Love (Andreas Dresen)My Favourite CakeLangue Etrangère (Claire Berger)Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants)Who Do I Belong To (Meryam Joobeur)Pepe (Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias)Shambhala (Min Bahadur Bham)Sterben (Matthias Glasner)Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants)A Traveler’s Needs (Hong Sang-soo)Sleep With Your Eyes Open. ENCOUNTERSArcadia (Yorgos Zois)Cidade; Campo (Juliana Rojas)Demba (Mamadou Dia)Direct ActionSleep With Your Eyes Open (Nele Wohlatz)The Fable (Raam Reddy...
- 1/23/2024
- MUBI
We’ve got an exclusive clip to Ukrainian filmmaker Roman Bondarchuk‘s The Editorial Office (Redaktsiya) – his sophomore feature film was selected for the Forum section at the upcoming Berlin Intl. Film Festival. Coming from a docu background, Bondarchuk shot The Editorial Office just prior to the Russian invasion of southern Unraine — and so most of what we see in the film in terms of backdrops and the players has been destroyed, displaced or even joined enemy lines – paradoxically in the teaser below, we find Yura on the lookout for an endangered species which he never thought might include his neighbors.…...
- 1/20/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Ukrainian filmmaker Roman Bondarchuk is winding down post-production on his latest feature film, “The Editorial Office,” a dramedy set on the eve of the Russian invasion. It’s among the works in progress being presented this week at CineLink Industry Days, the industry arm of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
“The Editorial Office” follows Yura, a junior researcher at a provincial nature museum who witnesses an act of arson committed in the forest. When he brings evidence of the crime to the editor of a local newspaper, he unexpectedly gets hired as a journalist, a career change that suddenly pulls him into a treacherous world where the line between fact and fiction is blurred. “It’s about a young man who’s trying to discover his own truth, sometimes at a very high price,” said Bondarchuk.
The director, previously known for documentaries such as 2015 IDFA premiere “Ukrainian Sheriffs,” made the transition...
“The Editorial Office” follows Yura, a junior researcher at a provincial nature museum who witnesses an act of arson committed in the forest. When he brings evidence of the crime to the editor of a local newspaper, he unexpectedly gets hired as a journalist, a career change that suddenly pulls him into a treacherous world where the line between fact and fiction is blurred. “It’s about a young man who’s trying to discover his own truth, sometimes at a very high price,” said Bondarchuk.
The director, previously known for documentaries such as 2015 IDFA premiere “Ukrainian Sheriffs,” made the transition...
- 8/18/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Projects will be presented during festival’s Industry Days section.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has unveiled the projects that will be showcased during its Eastern Promises industry strand, which takes place on July 3-4.
27 film projects have been selected for Eastern Promises’ Works in Progress, Works in Development – Feature Launch and First Cut+ Works in Progress strands.
The most promising projects, selected by international juries, will receive awards worth a total of €115,000. The showcase of projects to industry professionals will take place during this year’s Kviff Industry Days.
Eleven fiction and documentary features have been selected for the Works in Progress strand.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has unveiled the projects that will be showcased during its Eastern Promises industry strand, which takes place on July 3-4.
27 film projects have been selected for Eastern Promises’ Works in Progress, Works in Development – Feature Launch and First Cut+ Works in Progress strands.
The most promising projects, selected by international juries, will receive awards worth a total of €115,000. The showcase of projects to industry professionals will take place during this year’s Kviff Industry Days.
Eleven fiction and documentary features have been selected for the Works in Progress strand.
- 6/14/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry platform has unveiled 27 film projects that will be showcased during its Works in Progress, Works in Development – Feature Launch and First Cut+ Works in Progress presentations. The most promising projects, selected by international juries, will receive awards with a total value of 115,000 Eur.
The showcasing of projects to industry professionals will take place in Karlovy Vary, during this year’s Kviff Industry Days on July 3 (Works in Progress and Works in Development – Feature Launch) and July 4 (First Cut+ Works in Progress).
For Works in Progress, 11 fiction and documentary feature films in the late stage of production or post-production from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa have been selected.
The following projects will compete for prizes of a total value of 100,000 Eur:
“Distances” (Poland)
Director: Matej Bobrik
Producer: Agnieszka Skalska...
The showcasing of projects to industry professionals will take place in Karlovy Vary, during this year’s Kviff Industry Days on July 3 (Works in Progress and Works in Development – Feature Launch) and July 4 (First Cut+ Works in Progress).
For Works in Progress, 11 fiction and documentary feature films in the late stage of production or post-production from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa have been selected.
The following projects will compete for prizes of a total value of 100,000 Eur:
“Distances” (Poland)
Director: Matej Bobrik
Producer: Agnieszka Skalska...
- 6/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych’s enigmatic war drama, set in Donbas, is brutal in its depiction of conflict but also elusively redemptive
Set at the start of the Donbas war in 2014, Valentyn Vasyanovych’s fifth feature, Reflection, chimes horribly with the current mood, grim and exacting as it is compared with previous, more ironic films about the conflict such as Sergei Loznitza’s Donbass and Roman Bondarchuk’s Volcano. It is composed in largely static tableau shots, many of them featuring windows, windscreens and other partitions, implying both the estranged unreality of the conflict taking place so close to civilised life, as well as an elusive redemption sought by the film’s characters.
The first window gets covered in multicoloured splatters at the paintballing birthday party of Polina, child of Serhiy (Roman Lutskyi), a Ukrainian surgeon. It’s a playful allusion to nearby warfare, which Serhiy discusses with Andriy (Andriy Rymaruk...
Set at the start of the Donbas war in 2014, Valentyn Vasyanovych’s fifth feature, Reflection, chimes horribly with the current mood, grim and exacting as it is compared with previous, more ironic films about the conflict such as Sergei Loznitza’s Donbass and Roman Bondarchuk’s Volcano. It is composed in largely static tableau shots, many of them featuring windows, windscreens and other partitions, implying both the estranged unreality of the conflict taking place so close to civilised life, as well as an elusive redemption sought by the film’s characters.
The first window gets covered in multicoloured splatters at the paintballing birthday party of Polina, child of Serhiy (Roman Lutskyi), a Ukrainian surgeon. It’s a playful allusion to nearby warfare, which Serhiy discusses with Andriy (Andriy Rymaruk...
- 5/30/2022
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
In the days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, organizers of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival quickly shifted gears to offer whatever support they could. Festival director Tiina Lokk says the urgency of the moment was not lost on her or her fellow Estonians, who share a border with Russia and only won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
“The war in Ukraine has been felt very deeply here,” Lokk tells Variety. “Estonians know the price of freedom and we see that Ukrainians are now fighting a war for us all. It’s a very personal issue among the many members of the [Tallinn Black Nights] team who have been involved directly with humanitarian efforts.”
The festival announced in early March that for its annual pix-in-post showcase, Tallinn Black Nights Goes to Cannes, it would showcase five Ukrainian feature films that will be pitched to potential partners, sales agents and...
“The war in Ukraine has been felt very deeply here,” Lokk tells Variety. “Estonians know the price of freedom and we see that Ukrainians are now fighting a war for us all. It’s a very personal issue among the many members of the [Tallinn Black Nights] team who have been involved directly with humanitarian efforts.”
The festival announced in early March that for its annual pix-in-post showcase, Tallinn Black Nights Goes to Cannes, it would showcase five Ukrainian feature films that will be pitched to potential partners, sales agents and...
- 5/20/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Ukrainian director Olha Zhurba and producer Darya Bassel are teaming up on a documentary about Ukraine’s refugee crisis after their last collaboration, “Outside,” premiered at Copenhagen’s Cph:dox festival this year.
The project, with a working title “Displaced,” is being produced by Bassel’s Kyiv-based Moon Man production outfit in co-production with Germany’s Koberstein Film and Denmark’s Final Cut for Real.
Zhurba began filming not long after the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, capturing footage of the thousands of Kyiv residents who had flocked to the capital’s railway station for safety. She’s now in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and the site of intense fighting in recent weeks. “The material is very strong. It’s just heartbreaking,” said Bassel. “Even I could not watch it more than one time.”
Bassel, who’s in Cannes as part of the Producers Network’s Ukrainian Producers Under the Spotlight initiative,...
The project, with a working title “Displaced,” is being produced by Bassel’s Kyiv-based Moon Man production outfit in co-production with Germany’s Koberstein Film and Denmark’s Final Cut for Real.
Zhurba began filming not long after the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, capturing footage of the thousands of Kyiv residents who had flocked to the capital’s railway station for safety. She’s now in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and the site of intense fighting in recent weeks. “The material is very strong. It’s just heartbreaking,” said Bassel. “Even I could not watch it more than one time.”
Bassel, who’s in Cannes as part of the Producers Network’s Ukrainian Producers Under the Spotlight initiative,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Ukrainian Films Now aims to provide financial and practical support to the Ukrainian industry.
Film funds from France, Germany and Italy are among 12 organisations uniting for Ukrainian Films Now, a fundraising and networking event at Cannes in support of Ukrainian films in post-production.
The event will take place as part of the Marche du Film’s official programme, with the nine Ukrainian works-in-progress presented on May 22 to an audience of industry professionals.
The aim is to connect the Ukrainian film teams with potential European producers and partners. A cash prize of €30,000 will be awarded to one of the nine films,...
Film funds from France, Germany and Italy are among 12 organisations uniting for Ukrainian Films Now, a fundraising and networking event at Cannes in support of Ukrainian films in post-production.
The event will take place as part of the Marche du Film’s official programme, with the nine Ukrainian works-in-progress presented on May 22 to an audience of industry professionals.
The aim is to connect the Ukrainian film teams with potential European producers and partners. A cash prize of €30,000 will be awarded to one of the nine films,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The Cannes Film Marché has unveiled the full lineup of its Ukraine in Focus program which will provide Ukrainian filmmakers and producers with networking, pitching and co-financing opportunities over two days during the Cannes Film Festival, on May 21 and 22.
Under the program, key market initiatives such as Goes to Cannes, Cannes Docs Showcase and the Producers Network will be skewed towards projects and executives from Ukraine in order to support the country which was invaded by Russia on Feb. 24 and has been at war since then. Deadline first reported the news that Cannes was planning a focus on Ukraine program.
The Producers’ Network, organized in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute, will include six producers, including Denis Ivanov from Arthouse Traffic, Darya Bassel from Moon Man, Natalia Libet from Digital Religion, Sashko Chubko from Pronto Film, Olga Beskhmelnytsina from Esse Production House and Vladimir Yatsenko from ForeFilms.
Docs in Progress, presented...
Under the program, key market initiatives such as Goes to Cannes, Cannes Docs Showcase and the Producers Network will be skewed towards projects and executives from Ukraine in order to support the country which was invaded by Russia on Feb. 24 and has been at war since then. Deadline first reported the news that Cannes was planning a focus on Ukraine program.
The Producers’ Network, organized in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute, will include six producers, including Denis Ivanov from Arthouse Traffic, Darya Bassel from Moon Man, Natalia Libet from Digital Religion, Sashko Chubko from Pronto Film, Olga Beskhmelnytsina from Esse Production House and Vladimir Yatsenko from ForeFilms.
Docs in Progress, presented...
- 4/13/2022
- by Patrick Frater and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Fundraiser
Actors Jeremy Irons (“House of Gucci”), Sinéad Cusack (“Wrath of the Titans”) and Greta Bellamacina (“This Sceptred Isle”) are set to take part in a charity fundraising event for Ukrainian refugees on Wednesday evening in London.
The trio are set to give readings at the event, which will also include talks by journalist Misha Glenny and historian Sir Simon Schama about Putin’s Russia.
The Kiva Cello Quartet will also play.
Funds will go to the Wonder Foundation, its Polish partners, Panorama and Pontes, and Moldovan food business incubator Katalyst, all of whom are providing services from housing and employment to food and assimilation to hundreds of Ukrainian families fleeing the war.
“An Evening for Ukraine’s Refugees” takes place in Central London on Wednesday March 30. Tickets can be purchased here.
Detention
Viktor Marunyak, the elderly subject of Roman Bondarchuk’s IDFA winner and Ukraine’s 2016 Oscar entry “Ukrainian Sheriffs,...
Actors Jeremy Irons (“House of Gucci”), Sinéad Cusack (“Wrath of the Titans”) and Greta Bellamacina (“This Sceptred Isle”) are set to take part in a charity fundraising event for Ukrainian refugees on Wednesday evening in London.
The trio are set to give readings at the event, which will also include talks by journalist Misha Glenny and historian Sir Simon Schama about Putin’s Russia.
The Kiva Cello Quartet will also play.
Funds will go to the Wonder Foundation, its Polish partners, Panorama and Pontes, and Moldovan food business incubator Katalyst, all of whom are providing services from housing and employment to food and assimilation to hundreds of Ukrainian families fleeing the war.
“An Evening for Ukraine’s Refugees” takes place in Central London on Wednesday March 30. Tickets can be purchased here.
Detention
Viktor Marunyak, the elderly subject of Roman Bondarchuk’s IDFA winner and Ukraine’s 2016 Oscar entry “Ukrainian Sheriffs,...
- 3/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
”Stop all communication with directors who continue to live in the Soviet or Soviet paradigm” urge the filmmakers in a statement.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine reaches its 12th day, seven Ukranian filmmakers have issued the below statement, with an important message for the rest of the world: ”Stop any cultural collaborations with representatives of a terrorist country that threatens to destroy the whole world.”
Valentyn Vasyanovych, Roman Bondarchuk, Nariman Aliev, Maryna Er Gorbach, Darya Bassel, Antonio Lukich and Alina Gorlova have all contributed. It is understood that all of the filmmakers have remained in Ukraine, apart from Er Gorbach,...
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine reaches its 12th day, seven Ukranian filmmakers have issued the below statement, with an important message for the rest of the world: ”Stop any cultural collaborations with representatives of a terrorist country that threatens to destroy the whole world.”
Valentyn Vasyanovych, Roman Bondarchuk, Nariman Aliev, Maryna Er Gorbach, Darya Bassel, Antonio Lukich and Alina Gorlova have all contributed. It is understood that all of the filmmakers have remained in Ukraine, apart from Er Gorbach,...
- 3/7/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Directors demand halt to ‘collaborations with representatives of a terrorist country that threatens to destroy the whole world’
A group of prominent Ukrainian film-makers are demanding a cultural boycott of Russia, saying that it would be “an attempt to cleanse the world of the propaganda of a terrorist state”.
Seven film-makers, including Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano), Nariman Aliev (Homeward), Alina Gorlova (This Rain Will Never Stop) and Valentyn Vasyanovych (Atlantis), have each released statements outlining their support of a boycott as well as their criticism of Russian film-makers who are failing to oppose the attack on Ukraine.
A group of prominent Ukrainian film-makers are demanding a cultural boycott of Russia, saying that it would be “an attempt to cleanse the world of the propaganda of a terrorist state”.
Seven film-makers, including Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano), Nariman Aliev (Homeward), Alina Gorlova (This Rain Will Never Stop) and Valentyn Vasyanovych (Atlantis), have each released statements outlining their support of a boycott as well as their criticism of Russian film-makers who are failing to oppose the attack on Ukraine.
- 3/7/2022
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Seven Ukrainian filmmakers, who are remaining in the country as Russia continues its invasion, have spoken out about their experiences on the front line of the war in their country. Directors Valentyn Vasyanovych, Roman Bondarchuk, Nariman Aliev, Maryna Er Gorbach , Antonio Lukich, Alina Gorlova and producer Darya Bassel have all called upon the international film and television community to issue cultural sanctions against Russia.
“It is necessary to lower the iron cultural curtain around Russia,” Vasyanovych says in a statement sent to Deadline. “Stop any cultural collaborations with representatives of a terrorist country that threatens to destroy the whole world.”
The group of filmmakers ask the world to isolate Russia and its president Vladimir Putin as the Russo-Ukranian war intensifies and the number of civilian casualties continues to rise dramatically.
Read their moving and deeply entrenched statements here:
Valentyn Vasyanovych
Ukrainian film director
Insidious shelling of residential areas with civilians,...
“It is necessary to lower the iron cultural curtain around Russia,” Vasyanovych says in a statement sent to Deadline. “Stop any cultural collaborations with representatives of a terrorist country that threatens to destroy the whole world.”
The group of filmmakers ask the world to isolate Russia and its president Vladimir Putin as the Russo-Ukranian war intensifies and the number of civilian casualties continues to rise dramatically.
Read their moving and deeply entrenched statements here:
Valentyn Vasyanovych
Ukrainian film director
Insidious shelling of residential areas with civilians,...
- 3/7/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
As the invasion of Ukraine continues, seven leading Ukrainian filmmakers allege complicity by the Russian artistic community. They are now calling for cultural sanctions against Russia.
Valentyn Vasyanovych, director
Insidious shelling of residential areas with civilians, as well as blackmail of nuclear weapons – is a manifestation of the powerless rage of the fascist regime of Russia and the lack of chances to defeat the Ukrainian army and people in a direct military confrontation.
The whole bloody history of Russia, as imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet, is based on the bloodthirsty attitude towards its neighbors and its people, who have never been united ethnically or culturally.
What is culture for here? To the fact that at all times Russia has used cultural and artistic achievements as a cover for its aggressive actions, forming the idea that a country with great cultural achievements can not behave like a bloodthirsty cannibal. But history has shown that it can.
Valentyn Vasyanovych, director
Insidious shelling of residential areas with civilians, as well as blackmail of nuclear weapons – is a manifestation of the powerless rage of the fascist regime of Russia and the lack of chances to defeat the Ukrainian army and people in a direct military confrontation.
The whole bloody history of Russia, as imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet, is based on the bloodthirsty attitude towards its neighbors and its people, who have never been united ethnically or culturally.
What is culture for here? To the fact that at all times Russia has used cultural and artistic achievements as a cover for its aggressive actions, forming the idea that a country with great cultural achievements can not behave like a bloodthirsty cannibal. But history has shown that it can.
- 3/7/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Roman Bondarchuk handles this strange tale about an interpreter left stranded with some locals with deadpan poise
“That’s our wandering buoy. It slipped its anchor near the dam. It appears and disappears at will.” A light, unfathomable absurdity governs this 2018 fiction debut by Ukrainian documentarian Roman Bondarchuk, set in the area around the city of Kherson; a sun-roasted steppe north of the Crimea where Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Osce) interpreter Lukas (Serhiy Stepansky) becomes stranded. He’s escorting an SUV full of foreign delegates when it breaks down and he wanders off in search of a mobile signal. On his return, both car and foreigners have vanished.
Hitching a ride, Lukas is invited to stay with Vova (Viktor Zhdanov), a middle-aged potterer living with his mother and daughter in a capacious ramshackle construction on the banks of the Dnieper river. So begins Lukas’s initiation – like...
“That’s our wandering buoy. It slipped its anchor near the dam. It appears and disappears at will.” A light, unfathomable absurdity governs this 2018 fiction debut by Ukrainian documentarian Roman Bondarchuk, set in the area around the city of Kherson; a sun-roasted steppe north of the Crimea where Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Osce) interpreter Lukas (Serhiy Stepansky) becomes stranded. He’s escorting an SUV full of foreign delegates when it breaks down and he wanders off in search of a mobile signal. On his return, both car and foreigners have vanished.
Hitching a ride, Lukas is invited to stay with Vova (Viktor Zhdanov), a middle-aged potterer living with his mother and daughter in a capacious ramshackle construction on the banks of the Dnieper river. So begins Lukas’s initiation – like...
- 11/9/2021
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Upcoming features from Margarethe Von Trotta and Fernando Trueba also receive support.
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
- 6/29/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Upcoming features from Margarethe Von Trotta and Fernando Trueba also receive support.
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
- 6/29/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Projects in development include new films by Roman Bondarchuk and Robert Budina.
New films by Russia’s Roman Bondarchuk and Robert Budina, whose credits include Waterdrop, are among 13 projects in development to be presented at this year’s east-west co-production market connecting cottbus (coco).
The event is normally held as part of FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany (November 3-8), but will run online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Bondarchuk’s previous feature was Karlovy Vary 2018 East of the West title Volcano, whilst Budina’s last film A Shelter Among The Clouds premiered in competition at Tallinn, also in...
New films by Russia’s Roman Bondarchuk and Robert Budina, whose credits include Waterdrop, are among 13 projects in development to be presented at this year’s east-west co-production market connecting cottbus (coco).
The event is normally held as part of FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany (November 3-8), but will run online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Bondarchuk’s previous feature was Karlovy Vary 2018 East of the West title Volcano, whilst Budina’s last film A Shelter Among The Clouds premiered in competition at Tallinn, also in...
- 10/19/2020
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Projects in development include new films by Roman Bondarchuk and Robert Budina.
New films by Roman Bondarchuk (The Editorial Office) and Robert Budina (Waterdrop) are among 13 projects in development to be presented at this year’s east-west co-production market connecting cottbus.
The event is normally held as part of FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany (November 3-8), but will run online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Bondarchuk’s previous feature was Karlovy Vary 2018 East of the West title Volcano, whilst Budina’s last film A Shelter Among The Clouds premiered in competition at Tallinn, also in 2018.
Among the other...
New films by Roman Bondarchuk (The Editorial Office) and Robert Budina (Waterdrop) are among 13 projects in development to be presented at this year’s east-west co-production market connecting cottbus.
The event is normally held as part of FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany (November 3-8), but will run online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Bondarchuk’s previous feature was Karlovy Vary 2018 East of the West title Volcano, whilst Budina’s last film A Shelter Among The Clouds premiered in competition at Tallinn, also in 2018.
Among the other...
- 10/19/2020
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The 22nd edition of the co-production market is inviting 13 projects in development and six works in progress from Eastern Europe. The 22nd edition of the connecting cottbus co-production market once again confirms that creativity continues to blossom in the Eastern European film industry. Taking place online from 4-6 November, during FilmFestival Cottbus, the East-West co-production market has selected 13 new projects in development and six works in progress, hailing from 13 countries in Eastern Europe. Among the projects selected for cocoPITCH, which are mostly by first-time directors, are the upcoming works by Svetla Tsotsorkova (Sister), who also received the Special Pitch Award at FilmFestival Cottbus 2019; Gjorche Stavreski (Secret Ingredient); Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano); and Robert Budina (A Shelter Among Clouds). Furthermore, two projects were selected at coco’s partner events, and they are the debut features by Romanian filmmaker Paul Cioran, the winner of the Transilvania Pitch Stop - coco...
The industry platform is showcasing upcoming Ukrainian productions and offering professionals a specialised session on film promotion. As the 11th Odesa International Film Festival has shifted its dates and made the leap to a digital format, running from 25 September-3 October (see the news), the gathering’s industry section, Film Industry Office, will also run online from 29 September-2 October. As every year, the leading platform will showcase everything that is up and coming in Ukrainian cinema, while Book Pitch, a new pitching event, is being introduced for potential film adaptations of literature. Starting with the projects that are at the early-development stage and are being produced or co-produced with Ukraine, 13 projects have been selected. Among them are the upcoming features by Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe), Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano), Daria Onyshchenko (The Forgotten), Taras Tkachenko (Black Raven) and Maryna Er Gorbach (Omar and Us), and the new documentary by Alisa...
Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave. Welcome to this week's Stay-At-Home Seven. If you're looking for more inspiration, don't forget to check out our Streaming Spotlight on quirky continental comedies, plus you can read last week's suggestions here.
Volcano, Curzon Home Cinema, until July 5
Curzon have teamed up with Edinburgh International Film Festival for an online showcase, including Roman Bondarchuk's absurdist debut. It tells the tale of Lukas (Serhiy Stepansky), a translator who finds himself inexplicably stranded in the back of beyond of southern Ukraine. Filled with striking visuals from cinematographer Vadim Ilkovlonger, the film progresses, the more Bondarchuk subverts the idea of Kafka - rather than this road-to-nowhere situation proving to be hell, there's an increasing sense that a loss of structure could be less a tearing down of Lukas' life than an opportunity to build something different. Many of the films screening as...
Volcano, Curzon Home Cinema, until July 5
Curzon have teamed up with Edinburgh International Film Festival for an online showcase, including Roman Bondarchuk's absurdist debut. It tells the tale of Lukas (Serhiy Stepansky), a translator who finds himself inexplicably stranded in the back of beyond of southern Ukraine. Filled with striking visuals from cinematographer Vadim Ilkovlonger, the film progresses, the more Bondarchuk subverts the idea of Kafka - rather than this road-to-nowhere situation proving to be hell, there's an increasing sense that a loss of structure could be less a tearing down of Lukas' life than an opportunity to build something different. Many of the films screening as...
- 6/29/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has unveiled its line up of features for this year’s edition, which is taking place online due to the coronavirus crisis.
The festival, which was due to take place in Scotland this month, has partnered with Curzon Home Cinema to present an online festival instead.
The line up includes the U.K. premieres of Ron Howard’s documentary “Rebuilding Paradise,” Susanne Regina Meures’s doc “Saudi Runaway,” Alex Thomson directed U.S. comedy drama “Saint Frances,” Jóhann Jóhannsson’s “Last and First Men,” narrated by Tilda Swinton, Sebastian Lifshitz’s “Little Girl,” and “Perfumes,” by Grégory Magne.
A film will be presented each day of the 12 day festival, with films playing for between two and 12 days, each priced at £9.99 ($12.80). Alongside the films there will be live Q&As with special guests.
Rod White, Eiff director of drogramming said: “We want to give our...
The festival, which was due to take place in Scotland this month, has partnered with Curzon Home Cinema to present an online festival instead.
The line up includes the U.K. premieres of Ron Howard’s documentary “Rebuilding Paradise,” Susanne Regina Meures’s doc “Saudi Runaway,” Alex Thomson directed U.S. comedy drama “Saint Frances,” Jóhann Jóhannsson’s “Last and First Men,” narrated by Tilda Swinton, Sebastian Lifshitz’s “Little Girl,” and “Perfumes,” by Grégory Magne.
A film will be presented each day of the 12 day festival, with films playing for between two and 12 days, each priced at £9.99 ($12.80). Alongside the films there will be live Q&As with special guests.
Rod White, Eiff director of drogramming said: “We want to give our...
- 6/10/2020
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
The world's largest documentary film festival is giving viewers access to 302 films released between 1988 and 2019 on its website, free of charge. Yesterday, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa), the world’s largest documentary film gathering, decided to make over 300 films from its prestigious collection available online. This is a godsend for both professionals and film enthusiasts who are being forced to stay home and limit their social interaction during the outbreak of the notorious Covid-19. In total, Idfa’s selection offers 302 titles, released between 1988 and 2019. Notable European movies include festival hits such as Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief’s Rafea: Solar Mama (2012), Özgür Dogan and Orhan Eskikoy’s On the Way to School (2008), Kesang Tseten Lama’s Who Will Be a Gurkha (2012), Roman Bondarchuk’s Ukrainian Sheriffs (2015), and Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini’s Runaway (2001). In the last few days, the Dutch film event has...
Roman Bondarchuk's Volcano, which is receiving an exclusive global online premiere on Mubi, is showing from December 8 – January 6, 2019 in Mubi's Debuts series.Above: Roman BondarchukThis script was built on a lengthy documentary study and real events. In general, we wanted the locals to play local characters. They talk differently, move differently. The casting took place three months before the shooting. We walked around factories, clubs, fields, and watermelon plantations. Some people were afraid that their daughters were not actually cast for a movie, but for trafficking to Turkey. And this one time we had to film a shepherd for a scene, and there was this wonderful man with a cane and a grey beard. But his wife chased Tetiana—our casting director—away every time, because she was afraid that she was attracted to her husband. And the gas station man actually looked even better at the audition. When he came to the set,...
- 12/8/2019
- MUBI
The 10th Odesa film festival closed on Saturday, July 20.
Projects from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova were among the prize winners of this year’s Pitching and Work in Progress competitions at Odesa International Film Festival (Oiff).
Before announcing the winners of the Pitching competition, former Israel Film Fund chief Katriel Schory said that it had ¨not been easy¨ for the international jury, which included producers Karsten Stöter (Rohfilm) and Guillaume de Seille (Arizona Films), to come to a final decision on which would be named the best project among the 12 pitches.
According to Schory, ¨it was one of the longest...
Projects from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova were among the prize winners of this year’s Pitching and Work in Progress competitions at Odesa International Film Festival (Oiff).
Before announcing the winners of the Pitching competition, former Israel Film Fund chief Katriel Schory said that it had ¨not been easy¨ for the international jury, which included producers Karsten Stöter (Rohfilm) and Guillaume de Seille (Arizona Films), to come to a final decision on which would be named the best project among the 12 pitches.
According to Schory, ¨it was one of the longest...
- 7/21/2019
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The industry platform will showcase upcoming Ukrainian productions as well as shedding some light on the role of Creative Europe in the region and the importance of co-productions. During the tenth Odesa International Film Festival (12-20 July), the gathering’s industry section, Film Industry Office, will run from 16-19 July, and as is the case every year, it will showcase everything that is up and coming in Ukrainian cinema via an array of events. Furthermore, the section is changing location: this year, all of the proceedings will be held in the Londonskaya Hotel. Starting with the projects that are at the early-development stage and are being produced or co-produced with Ukraine, 13 projects have been selected. Among them are the upcoming features by Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano), Daria Zhuk (Crystal Swan), Juri Rechinsky (Ugly), Nikon Romanchenko (Tera), Valentyn Vasyanovych (Black Level) and Tonia Noyabrova (Hero of My Time). For the full list,...
When Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s East of the West competition opened to submissions from the Middle East two years ago, festival artistic director Karel Och noted it was “about time to abandon the political definition of the ‘East of the West’ countries,” long determined by the geographical boundaries hemming in the former Soviet bloc.
Though not the first time the section rewrote its borders — Greece, Turkey and Cyprus were also invited to compete several years ago — the decision was a clear sign that a competition long known for championing distinctive new cinematic voices was evolving to keep pace with the times.
This year’s selection is no exception, with formal experimentation and provocative storytelling marking many of the 12 films in competition. “We always try to put together a colorful selection, to combine films with different artistic approaches, various genres,” says programmer Lenka Tyrpakova. “We aim to discover distinctive auteur...
Though not the first time the section rewrote its borders — Greece, Turkey and Cyprus were also invited to compete several years ago — the decision was a clear sign that a competition long known for championing distinctive new cinematic voices was evolving to keep pace with the times.
This year’s selection is no exception, with formal experimentation and provocative storytelling marking many of the 12 films in competition. “We always try to put together a colorful selection, to combine films with different artistic approaches, various genres,” says programmer Lenka Tyrpakova. “We aim to discover distinctive auteur...
- 6/25/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Make room on the bench, Sergei Loznitsa (“Donbass”). Scoot along, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (“The Tribe”). It’s time to share the title of contemporary Ukraine’s most intriguing filmmaker with helmer Roman Bondarchuk, an erstwhile documentarian (“Ukrainian Sheriffs”), who makes a mesmerizing fiction debut with “Volcano.” An impressively shot drama marbled with welcome notes of absurdist comedy and wry humor, the movie is set in southern Ukraine’s Kherson province, just above Crimea, where a Kiev-based interpreter for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Osce) finds himself stranded after a series of misadventures. Following its world premiere in Karlovy Vary last July, the consistently involving film has screened at more than 30 international festivals and collected numerous kudos. Its Ukrainian theatrical rollout begins April 5.
Thirtysomething Lukas is driving three international Osce personnel on an inspection tour of military checkpoints when their SUV breaks down on a dirt road in the steppe.
Thirtysomething Lukas is driving three international Osce personnel on an inspection tour of military checkpoints when their SUV breaks down on a dirt road in the steppe.
- 4/5/2019
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
“Every week, we have received 5-8 letters from Oleg. He is involved in everything - in the cast, costumes, props, and set construction.”
Final preparations are now underway for the start of prinicpal photography on Numbers, the feature film based on the 2011 play of the same name by the imprisoned Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov. It will be directed by Ukrainian actor-director Akhtem Seitablaev on Sentsov’s recommendation.
Sentsov is in a remote Arctic prison camp in protest at his detention and that of some 70 compatriots in Russia. He was on hunger strike for 145 days, which ended in October.
He had...
Final preparations are now underway for the start of prinicpal photography on Numbers, the feature film based on the 2011 play of the same name by the imprisoned Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov. It will be directed by Ukrainian actor-director Akhtem Seitablaev on Sentsov’s recommendation.
Sentsov is in a remote Arctic prison camp in protest at his detention and that of some 70 compatriots in Russia. He was on hunger strike for 145 days, which ended in October.
He had...
- 12/12/2018
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Festival will open with omnibus film Half The Sky from five female directors.
Mohamed Ben Attia’s Dear Son (pictured), Yeo Siew Hua’s A Land Imagined and The Man Who Surprised Everyone, from Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, are among the films selected for the Crouching Tigers section of this year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyifff).
The section, dedicated to debut or second features from new talents, will also screen the world premiere of Hotel Imperio, from Portuguese director Ivo Ferreira (see full line-up below).
Meanwhile, the festival’s Hidden Dragons section, dedicated to “imaginative and original genre...
Mohamed Ben Attia’s Dear Son (pictured), Yeo Siew Hua’s A Land Imagined and The Man Who Surprised Everyone, from Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, are among the films selected for the Crouching Tigers section of this year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyifff).
The section, dedicated to debut or second features from new talents, will also screen the world premiere of Hotel Imperio, from Portuguese director Ivo Ferreira (see full line-up below).
Meanwhile, the festival’s Hidden Dragons section, dedicated to “imaginative and original genre...
- 9/28/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Docs include The Dread, and My Home, In Libya.
Cannes selections Birds Of Passage and Border will compete with the likes of Transit and Non Fiction for the Gold Hugo at next month’s 54th Chicago International Film Festival.
Artistic director Mimi Plauché announced on Friday (14) the international competition line-ups at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival, which runs from October 10–21.
The longest running competitive film festival in North America will feature two world premieres – Guie’dani’s Navel (Mexico) and the documentary Father The Flame (USA) – and showcase 16 films in the main International Feature Film Competition, 14 films in New Directors Competition,...
Cannes selections Birds Of Passage and Border will compete with the likes of Transit and Non Fiction for the Gold Hugo at next month’s 54th Chicago International Film Festival.
Artistic director Mimi Plauché announced on Friday (14) the international competition line-ups at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival, which runs from October 10–21.
The longest running competitive film festival in North America will feature two world premieres – Guie’dani’s Navel (Mexico) and the documentary Father The Flame (USA) – and showcase 16 films in the main International Feature Film Competition, 14 films in New Directors Competition,...
- 9/14/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“We are a true audience festival for professionals and cinema- overs alike”.
“There’s no sign of ‘a seven year itch’,” laughs Diana Iljine, as she heads her seventh edition of the Munich Film Festival (Filmfest München) this year .
“On the contrary, the love is growing.”
Iljine points to the increasing international focus of the festival, an increase in the number of accredited press attending and a rise in audiences. It all adds up, she says, to a far greater impact being felt in Germany by the films Munich is celebrating.
She describes the opening film, the world premiere of...
“There’s no sign of ‘a seven year itch’,” laughs Diana Iljine, as she heads her seventh edition of the Munich Film Festival (Filmfest München) this year .
“On the contrary, the love is growing.”
Iljine points to the increasing international focus of the festival, an increase in the number of accredited press attending and a rise in audiences. It all adds up, she says, to a far greater impact being felt in Germany by the films Munich is celebrating.
She describes the opening film, the world premiere of...
- 7/3/2018
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Ten world premieres are among the 12 films competing for the Crystal Globe at Central and Eastern Europe’s premier film festival, Karlovy Vary, which runs June 29-July 7. The competition titles include leading Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians,” an exploration of nationality and national trauma; Argentine Ana Katz’s family drama “Sueno Florianopolis”; and Canadian filmmaker Sebastien Pilote’s “The Fireflies Are Gone,” the story of a rebellious teen relationship.
A standout performance by Caleb Landry Jones dominates Peter Brunner’s dark Austro-American drama “To the Night,” while two filmmakers returning to Karlovy Vary present “noticeably more poetic new films”: Russia’s Ivan Tverdovsky (“Zoology”) will screen “Jumpman,” while Israeli director Joseph Madmony brings his third premiere to West Bohemia, the drama “Redemption,” co-directed by cinematographer Boaz Y. Yakov.
Czech Republic-based filmmaker Olmo Omerzu will screen a road movie centered on boyhood friendship,...
A standout performance by Caleb Landry Jones dominates Peter Brunner’s dark Austro-American drama “To the Night,” while two filmmakers returning to Karlovy Vary present “noticeably more poetic new films”: Russia’s Ivan Tverdovsky (“Zoology”) will screen “Jumpman,” while Israeli director Joseph Madmony brings his third premiere to West Bohemia, the drama “Redemption,” co-directed by cinematographer Boaz Y. Yakov.
Czech Republic-based filmmaker Olmo Omerzu will screen a road movie centered on boyhood friendship,...
- 6/29/2018
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
The film will premiere in the East of West competition.
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for Volcano, Roman Bondarchuk’s drama-comedy that will have its world premiere in the East of the West competition at the 53rd Karlovy Vary Film Festival (June 29-July 7).
In the film, a series of coincidences leaves Lukas, an interpreter for a military checkpoint inspection tour, stranded near a remote Ukranian village. He finds shelter at the home of a colorful local named Vova (Victor Zhdanov), who guides him through an anarchist universe beyond his imagination.
The lead role of Lukas is played by...
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for Volcano, Roman Bondarchuk’s drama-comedy that will have its world premiere in the East of the West competition at the 53rd Karlovy Vary Film Festival (June 29-July 7).
In the film, a series of coincidences leaves Lukas, an interpreter for a military checkpoint inspection tour, stranded near a remote Ukranian village. He finds shelter at the home of a colorful local named Vova (Victor Zhdanov), who guides him through an anarchist universe beyond his imagination.
The lead role of Lukas is played by...
- 6/19/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Dating back to 1948, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in the world and has become one of Eastern and Central Europe’s most prominent events for cinema. The festival, which takes place in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic every July, has now announced the program of films for its Official Selection, East of the West, and Documentary competitions.
The Official Selection is composed of 12 films – ten world premieres and two international premieres – and is led by renowned Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s latest film I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians, which plays as an investigation on the large idea of nationality, and esteemed Argentinian director Ana Katz’s film Sueño Florianópolis, a family drama structured with elements of both trite and humorous storytelling. Among them, the line-up includes the complex romance The Fireflies Are Gone (by Canada’s...
The Official Selection is composed of 12 films – ten world premieres and two international premieres – and is led by renowned Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s latest film I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians, which plays as an investigation on the large idea of nationality, and esteemed Argentinian director Ana Katz’s film Sueño Florianópolis, a family drama structured with elements of both trite and humorous storytelling. Among them, the line-up includes the complex romance The Fireflies Are Gone (by Canada’s...
- 5/29/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Berlin-based sales agent boards debut feature.
Berlin-based sales agent Pluto Film has added Henrika Kull’s Jibril to its slate ahead of this month’s European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin.
The film is Kull’s feature debut and will have its world premiere in Berlin’s Panorama strand on Feb 16. It stars Susana Abdulmajid as a divorced mother of three girls who becomes embroiled in a love affair with a prison inmate.
Kull produced with Sophie Lakow, and Carolina Steinbrecher.
Pluto Film’s slate also includes Panorama title Lemonade, which Screen unveiled the first trailer for this week, and Malene Choi’s The Return, which won a special jury mention in Rotterdam this year.
At the Efm, Pluto Film will also be touting Veit Helmer’s comedy The Bra, Robert Budina’s A Shelter Among The Clouds, Miha Mazzini’s Erased, and Roman Bondarchuk’s Volcano, Rasko Miljkovic’s The Witch Hunters, and Jan Speckenbach’s Freedom...
Berlin-based sales agent Pluto Film has added Henrika Kull’s Jibril to its slate ahead of this month’s European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin.
The film is Kull’s feature debut and will have its world premiere in Berlin’s Panorama strand on Feb 16. It stars Susana Abdulmajid as a divorced mother of three girls who becomes embroiled in a love affair with a prison inmate.
Kull produced with Sophie Lakow, and Carolina Steinbrecher.
Pluto Film’s slate also includes Panorama title Lemonade, which Screen unveiled the first trailer for this week, and Malene Choi’s The Return, which won a special jury mention in Rotterdam this year.
At the Efm, Pluto Film will also be touting Veit Helmer’s comedy The Bra, Robert Budina’s A Shelter Among The Clouds, Miha Mazzini’s Erased, and Roman Bondarchuk’s Volcano, Rasko Miljkovic’s The Witch Hunters, and Jan Speckenbach’s Freedom...
- 2/8/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Summer 1993 and My Happy Family also take home prizes from Ukrainian festival.
Peter Brosen and Jessica Woodworth’s fourth feature King Of The Belgians received the Golden Duke Grand Prix - based on voting by festival-goers - at the eighth Odesa International Film Festival (Oiff, July 14 - 22), which came to a close on Saturday evening.
The International Competition jury, headed up by German director Christian Petzold and including actress Sibel Kekilli and Romanian producer-director-festival organiser Tudor Giurgiu, awarded the prize for best international feature film to Catalan director Carla Simón’s autobiographical film Summer 1993.
Handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, Simón’s film had its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus sidebar where it won the international jury’s grand prix and the Gwff best first feature award.
Meanwhile, My Happy Family by the directorial duo Nana & Simon continued its successful international festival career by picking up the jury’s awards for best director...
Peter Brosen and Jessica Woodworth’s fourth feature King Of The Belgians received the Golden Duke Grand Prix - based on voting by festival-goers - at the eighth Odesa International Film Festival (Oiff, July 14 - 22), which came to a close on Saturday evening.
The International Competition jury, headed up by German director Christian Petzold and including actress Sibel Kekilli and Romanian producer-director-festival organiser Tudor Giurgiu, awarded the prize for best international feature film to Catalan director Carla Simón’s autobiographical film Summer 1993.
Handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, Simón’s film had its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus sidebar where it won the international jury’s grand prix and the Gwff best first feature award.
Meanwhile, My Happy Family by the directorial duo Nana & Simon continued its successful international festival career by picking up the jury’s awards for best director...
- 7/24/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Volcano, Brighton 4 are currently in post-production.
Michel Merkt has signed on as a producer on works in progress 2017 films Volcano and Brighton 4.
Volcano is directed by Roman Bondarchuk and produced by Olena Yershova. The film centres on Lukas, a translator working for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, who is left stranded in the southern Ukrainian town of Beryslaw after several strange coincidences.
As an involuntary guest, Lukas must confront a totally new world in which life seems to be completely detached from any kind of structure.
Brighton 4, directed by Levan Koguashvili and produced by Olena Yershova, centres on Kahi, a 65 year old Georgian ex-wrestler, who travels to Brooklyn, New York, in order to help his son escape a gambling debt.
The two film projects are currently in the post-production stage and were participants in the works in progress 2017 @Kviff programme.
Volcano and Brighton 4 were among the eight selected projects originating from Central and Eastern...
Michel Merkt has signed on as a producer on works in progress 2017 films Volcano and Brighton 4.
Volcano is directed by Roman Bondarchuk and produced by Olena Yershova. The film centres on Lukas, a translator working for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, who is left stranded in the southern Ukrainian town of Beryslaw after several strange coincidences.
As an involuntary guest, Lukas must confront a totally new world in which life seems to be completely detached from any kind of structure.
Brighton 4, directed by Levan Koguashvili and produced by Olena Yershova, centres on Kahi, a 65 year old Georgian ex-wrestler, who travels to Brooklyn, New York, in order to help his son escape a gambling debt.
The two film projects are currently in the post-production stage and were participants in the works in progress 2017 @Kviff programme.
Volcano and Brighton 4 were among the eight selected projects originating from Central and Eastern...
- 7/5/2017
- ScreenDaily
Volcano, Brighton 4 are currently in post-production.
Swiss producer Michel Merkt has acquired Volcano and Brighton 4 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Volcano is directed by Roman Bondarchuk and produced by Olena Yershova. The film centres on Lukas, a translator working for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, who is left stranded in the southern Ukrainian town of Beryslaw after several strange coincidences.
As an involuntary guest, Lukas must confront a totally new world in which life seems to be completely detached from any kind of structure.
Brighton 4, directed by Levan Koguashvili and produced by Olena Yershova, centres on Kahi, a 65 year old Georgian ex-wrestler, who travels to Brooklyn, New York, in order to help his son escape a gambling debt.
The two film projects are currently in the post-production stage and were participants in the works in progress 2017 @Kviff programme. Volcano and Brighton 4 are among the eight selected projects originating from Central and Eastern...
Swiss producer Michel Merkt has acquired Volcano and Brighton 4 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Volcano is directed by Roman Bondarchuk and produced by Olena Yershova. The film centres on Lukas, a translator working for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, who is left stranded in the southern Ukrainian town of Beryslaw after several strange coincidences.
As an involuntary guest, Lukas must confront a totally new world in which life seems to be completely detached from any kind of structure.
Brighton 4, directed by Levan Koguashvili and produced by Olena Yershova, centres on Kahi, a 65 year old Georgian ex-wrestler, who travels to Brooklyn, New York, in order to help his son escape a gambling debt.
The two film projects are currently in the post-production stage and were participants in the works in progress 2017 @Kviff programme. Volcano and Brighton 4 are among the eight selected projects originating from Central and Eastern...
- 7/5/2017
- ScreenDaily
Eighty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards. Yemen is a first-time entrant.
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,...
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,...
- 10/12/2016
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Eighty-five countries have submitted a film for consideration in the 60th anniversary year of the foreign language film category.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.
The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.
Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions
(Country, Title, director)
Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;
Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;
Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;
Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;
Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;
Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;
Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;
Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.
Bulgaria, Losers, [link...
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.
The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.
Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions
(Country, Title, director)
Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;
Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;
Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;
Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;
Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;
Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;
Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;
Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.
Bulgaria, Losers, [link...
- 10/11/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Festival also confirms Michael Moore set to compile next year’s ‘Top 10’.
At a packed ceremony in Amsterdam last night, the 28th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) announced its prizes.
In previous years, the Idfa award ceremony was held during the festival’s final weekend but the event was brought forward to Wednesday night so that more industry delegates and filmmakers could attend.
Among the main prizes, Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan won the Vpro Idfa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary and Ukrainian Sheriffs by Roman Bondarchuk won the Idfa Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documentary.
The prize for the best Dutch documentary went to Ester Gould for A Strange Love Affair With Ego.
The festival’s opening film A Family Affair by Tom Fassaert was awarded the Idfa Special Jury Award for Dutch Documentary.
Attendance / Michael Moore
Festival organisers expressed their happiness at ticket sales. Attendances fell sharply at the beginning of the festival as a direct...
At a packed ceremony in Amsterdam last night, the 28th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) announced its prizes.
In previous years, the Idfa award ceremony was held during the festival’s final weekend but the event was brought forward to Wednesday night so that more industry delegates and filmmakers could attend.
Among the main prizes, Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan won the Vpro Idfa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary and Ukrainian Sheriffs by Roman Bondarchuk won the Idfa Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documentary.
The prize for the best Dutch documentary went to Ester Gould for A Strange Love Affair With Ego.
The festival’s opening film A Family Affair by Tom Fassaert was awarded the Idfa Special Jury Award for Dutch Documentary.
Attendance / Michael Moore
Festival organisers expressed their happiness at ticket sales. Attendances fell sharply at the beginning of the festival as a direct...
- 11/26/2015
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
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