Ukraine’s oldest film festival, Molodist, has not quaked under the pressure of the pandemic — it will open on May 29 for its 50th annual screening.
Also known as Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival, the event was launched in 1970 for the students of Kyiv State Institute of Theatrical Arts to showcase their work. It has since grown to become an international platform spotlighting global trends of young cinema development and rising professional filmmakers.
Some of cinema’s biggest names made their debuts here, including Fred Kelemen, Tom Tykwer, Francois Ozon, Danny Boyle, Alexey Balabanov and Stephen Daldry. Some of the festival’s participants, like Bruno Dumont, went on to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and some, like Alain Berliner, later won an Academy Award.
Hosted in Kyiv from May 29 to June 6, the festival will feature both Ukrainian and foreign films in its competition and non-competition blocks. All screenings will provide both English and Ukrainian subtitles.
As usual, Molodist, which stands for “Youth” in Ukrainian, is all about underground, contemporary, arthouse cinema, offering movie enthusiasts a carefully crafted setlist of 200 films in 18 categories.
Its famous “Sunny Bunny” program is a collection of LGBTQ-related films. The “Midnight Special” brings sexual pictures to the night screen. And “Forma” showcases experimental films with an “alternative worldview.”
For fans of classical cinema, Molodist has put together the “Century” program, which will screen seven hand-picked must-see gems. From 1959 drama “Imitation of Life” to 1968 Spaghetti Western “Once Upon a Time in the West,” the program will be shown on the big screen in the Zhovten cinema.
The festival’s newly-launched competitive documentary category will show pictures that tackle critical modern issues like social inequality and follow touching personal stories. Ukrainian films will be mostly screened under the national competition program of short pictures.
Aside from film screenings, Molodist will hold a variety of workshops and parties. The detailed program with locations and schedule is to be announced.
Cinema lovers can purchase a regular pass for Hr 1,000 or a student pass for Hr 500, which give access to all festival events. Individual movie tickets will also be available for Hr 80.
Before purchasing tickets, moviegoers should explore the program and select the films to watch. The Kyiv Post has picked out eight of the worthiest pictures at this year’s Molodist.
‘Festival of Festivals’ program
“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” is a Romanian comedy drama following a school teacher caught up in a sex tape scandal, which will be screened during the 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn’
The big statement film of this year’s Molodist is a contemporary Romanian satire about a schoolteacher’s sex tape scandal. The winner of the Golden Bear at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, Radu Jude’s “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” is funny, provocative and at times absurd, according to many critics’ reviews. Set in the era of COVID-19 frustration and ongoing internet slut-shaming, Romanian teacher Emi, faces school sacking and an angry mob of parents after a private sex video of Emi and her husband goes viral. The film is graphic, at times extreme, and is likely to offend. But that’s precisely the point. In a world where people are eager to discuss others’ sex lives, all while turning a blind eye to real-world issues, the comedy is a slap at the hypocrisy and pettiness of modern society.
Bosnian war drama “Where are you going, Aida?” is on the program of the 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Where are you going, Aida?’
This Oscar-nominated war drama by Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić takes the audience back to the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The tragedy is told through the eyes of Aida, a former teacher working as a United Nations translator amid the Bosnian war. When a UN safe zone falls under siege of Serb forces, Aida’s position offers her protection but leaves her husband and two sons amongst 8,000 Bosnian refugees about to face death at the hands of Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladić. According to reviews, Jasna Duricic brilliantly portrays the desperate struggle of Aida, a mother and wife, to save her family as the massacre dawns on the refugee camp.
“Natural Light” is a Hungarian World War II drama that will be screened at the upcoming 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Natural Light’
This World War II drama is far from being a typical, action-packed recollection of battles. Instead, “Natural Light” follows a somewhat questionable protagonist through a chilling journey on the Eastern Front. The story is set in 1943 in the icy forests of the Nazi-occupied Soviet Union (filmed in Ukraine), where Hungarian soldiers, operating under Nazi command, are deployed to maintain order and seek out Soviet partisans. The main character is the corporal of one of the units, István Semetka. When his unit falls under the enemy fire, Semetka, as the ranking officer, reluctantly takes command of the group. However, his rational decision quickly leads to chaos and tragic consequences. Though it’s the feature debut of Hungarian filmmaker Dénes Nagy’s, the film won him a Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2021 Berlinale, where it premiered.
Midnight Special
Australian documentary “Morgana” is on the program of the 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Morgana’
This sentimental Australian documentary follows the journey of a housewife turned feminist who finds happiness in one of the most unexpected activities – directing amateur porn. The documentary is filmed as Morgana Muses’ reflection on her journey – from her childhood to her sexless marriage to her final break with conformity and beginning of sexual self-exploration as a pornographic filmmaker. “It wasn’t porn… It was art,” Morgana says in the trailer. The directors, Josie Hess and Isabel Peppard, complement Muses’ story by adding interviews with experts and porn industry professionals, resulting in a short up-close documentary about self-love and sex positivity.
Documentary Competition
Portuguese documentary “The Metamorphosis of Birds” will be screened during the upcoming 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘The Metamorphosis of Birds’
“The Metamorphosis of Birds” is a profoundly personal Portuguese documentary based on the director’s (Catarina Vasconcelos) family history, which tells the story of her grandparents — Henrique and Beatriz. Henrique is a naval officer who’s often away at sea, leaving his wife to raise their six children until her unexpected death one day. The movie is a recollection of memories — a way for the family members to cope with losing a loved one, each in their own way. Shot on 16-millimeter film and told entirely in voiceovers, the picture has a carefully composed vintage feel. Gentle and slow, the story unfolds through beautifully shot, at times surreal natural elements mixed with personal letters, photographs and stories. The 2020 documentary has won 11 awards, including the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Award for Best Feature in the new ‘Encounters’ section at Berlinale.
International Competition
“Luzzu” is a U.S. drama set in Malta following a Maltese fisherman, featured in the “International Competition” block of the 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Luzzu’
The debut feature of Maltese-American director Alex Camilleri, “Luzzu” profiles the little-represented struggle of a Maltese fisherman (played by an actual Maltese fisherman) trying to earn a living in a dying industry. The name of the film stands for the traditional colorfully painted fishing boats docked in Malta for well over a century. According to the plot, one such boat belongs to Jesmark, a native fisherman with a love for the sea and a desire to continue the longstanding family fishing trade. But the odds are not in his favor. Mounting European Union restrictions, a son in need of medication, and a series of unfortunate events, push Jesmark to enter the black market. This “naturalistic and a bit on-the-nose in spots” drama, as The Hollywood Reporter puts it, captures how real-world misfortune and bureaucracy crush a fisherman’s dream.
U.S. drama “Residue” is to be screened at the upcoming 50th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Residue’
Since its release in September amidst the Black Lives Matter Movement in the United States, “Residue” made a splash, having been reviewed by the world’s top media including The Guardian, The New York Times and The Rolling Stones. U.S. director Merawi Gerima’s main character, Jay, is a filmmaker who returns to his childhood neighborhood in Washington, D.C., after working in California for many years, only to find it completely gentrified. Familiar black faces have moved out, and white folks have taken over their homes. Yet, despite growing tension with white neighbors and pressure from real estate agents, there are some who have managed to hold onto their place. Jay decides to shoot a film about the black community’s struggle to keep its neighborhood but soon finds difficulty regaining touch with past familiarity. “A righteously angry meditation on people, place and time, ‘Residue’ marks not just an arresting directing debut for Gerima, but a blunt statement on contemporary culture,” says Los Angeles Times critic Kevin Crust.
‘Sunny Bunny’ program
“Valentina” is a Brazilian drama featured in the “Sunny Bunny” program of LGBTQ-related pictures at the 50th Molodist International Film Festival. (Courtesy)
‘Valentina’
“Valentina” is another feature film directorial debut, this time from Brazilian filmmaker Cássio Pereira dos Santos. It follows the life of a 17-year-old Brazilian trans girl, Valentina, played by newcomer Thiessa Woinbackk who is trans herself. Growing up in a metropolitan Brazilian city Uberlândia, Valentina is free to express her trans identity in the anonymity of big city life and the support of friends and family. But when her single mother Marcia finds work in a small rural town, the teenager’s happy world is shaken up by provincial attitudes and raised eyebrows. Warm and gentle, the film examines the marginalization of trans youth in Brazil at a time when ultra-conservative backlash is threatening the achievements of the LGBTQ activist community in the country. The film has picked up 12 accolades at numerous film festivals around the globe.
Check details at www.molodist.com. Buy passes, tickets online at www.ticketsbox.com. Some individual tickets will also be available for purchase at respective theaters.
