Tired and exhausted from his trip to the U.S., Ukrainian movie director Myroslav Slaboshpytsky politely asks to be interviewed over the phone. Returning to Ukraine on July 1, the director had been busy for a month showing his movie "The Tribe" to American audiences.
The first Ukrainian film to be commercially screened in the U.S., the violent drama is about a boarding school for deaf children, where a new pupil is drawn into organized crime, robbery and prostitution. The actors mostly communicate in sign language throughout the film.
The movie was released to 50 U.S. cinemas. It debuted in June with two exclusive showings in New York and Los Angeles. Then it screened in Austin, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver and Yonkers, according to the director.
Drafthouse Films distributed the movie, which specializes in provocative, visionary and artfully unusual films from around the world.
“As I was watching ‘The Tribe,’ the goose bumps on my arms quickly signaled that I was seeing something truly special,” said Drafthouse Films CEO Tim League on the company’s website. “Myroslav Slaboshpytsky is a massive talent. I am confident that he will quickly become a world-renowned director, and I am excited and proud to be sharing his striking first feature with North America.”
Box office proceeds so far have reached $81,529. The film’s budget was $1.3 million.
Earning figures are not relevant this early in the screening process, Slaboshpytsky said.
“The film will be in American theaters until October. And we are in the Top 400 of the most popular films this year, alongside with ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and many other famous blockbusters and artistic movies. That is a very universal list,” he said.
During his U.S. promotional tour, Slaboshpytsky spoke to dozens of viewers, many of whom became faithful fans.
“I know one man went to the cinema to watch ‘The Tribe’ four times. He sent an email yesterday, writing that he even dragged his friend – Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. to the show,” Slaboshpytsky said.
He also met with agents, movie producers and managers to make connections for upcoming movie projects. But according to Slaboshpytsky, Americans do not invest their money in foreign movies at the drop of a hat.
“They are always open for discussion. But when it comes to investing, they always want an English-language film with Hollywood actors” he said. “But still, many people appeared with ideas how else to promote ‘The Tribe’ and convey the film to the audience. When there is a hot story, people rush to it”.
In 2014-2015, the movie had also been shown to art house film lovers in Japan, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. “In October it will be in Germany. But, so you can understand, it is an art house release, not for the wide audience. ‘The Tribe’ did not get 500 copies as the ‘Lord of the Rings,’ for example,” Slaboshpytsky said.
After being shown in Europe, it was given three movie critics’ awards at the Cannes Film Festival and won a prize at the European Film Awards as the European discovery of the year.
In December 2015 Slaboshpytsky will start shooting his next drama “Luxembourg,” in the Chornobyl zone. It tells a story of a policeman who confronts the system, his job and the women in his life, in a city overshadowed by the effects of a nuclear disaster.
Kyiv Post writer Veronika Melkozerova can be reached at [email protected].
