You're reading: Ukrainian filmmakers eye prizes at Berlinale

Six Ukrainian filmmakers will participate in the Berlin International Film Festival or Berlinale, one of the world’s top movie festivals, which will take place on Feb. 15–25 in Berlin, Germany.

The large number of Ukrainian participants is yet another sign of the movie business in the country is coming to life after years of stagnation. The country produced 40 films in 2017 — the highest number since independence in 1991.

Two Ukrainians filmmakers will premiere their movies and compete in two of the nine main sections of the festival program, while the other four will participate in Berlinale Talent, a school for filmmakers.

Nariman Aliev, a Ukrainian filmmaker of Crimean Tatar origin, who was nominated for the Silver Bear award at Berlinale in 2016, says that participation in the festival opens a lot of opportunities for directors, while also offering a good chance to promote Ukraine abroad.

“If the film takes part in the Berlinale, it automatically becomes a part of Ukrainian cinematographic history,” Aliev told the Kyiv Post.

“Den Pobedy” or “Victory Day,” a new movie by acclaimed Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, will be screened in the International Forum of New Cinema section. This part of the Berlinale’s program is considered to be the most daring, as the films competing there “straddle the line between art and cinema,” the festival’s website says.

“’Den Pobedy’ is a documentary about the celebration of Victory Day in Berlin. This could be the reason this particular film by Loznitsa was selected for the Berlinale,” Aliev says.

The other Ukrainian film competing at the Berlinale is an erotic drama called “When the Trees Fall,” directed by Marysia Nikitiuk, which presents the frightening and enchanting experiences of three generations of women. It will be screened as part of the Panorama program, which includes a diverse range of films from around the world.

Nikitiuk told the Kyiv Post she had wanted to get on the Berlinale program, but was surprised to succeed. Even though the Berlinale is a very popular event, she said, it manages to keep its focus on what is most important — the films.

“There are a lot of discussions, lectures, screenings of chimeric and strange films — Berlin and the Berlinale are my love,” Nikitiuk says, adding that she was happy her debut was in the Panorama section. “I would say the main Competition section is more glamorous. But Panorama gives you a chance to see something new, innovative and risky.”

Aliev says he wasn’t surprised that Nikitiuk was selected.

“She is one of the most promising Ukrainian directors and screenwriters from the new generation,” Aliev said. “Keep an eye on Nikitiuk’s film, because it’s just the beginning of her career, and someday her films will be iconic for Ukrainian cinema.”

Berlinale Talents

Besides the main program, four Ukrainians will participate in Berlinale Talents, a 10-day school for up-and-coming filmmakers. Berlinale Talents is held annually in Berlin at the same time as the festival. It is a school for people of all filmmaking professions that accepts 250 applicants from all over the world.

One of four Ukrainians to attend Berlinale Talents this year is a director and screenwriter Liza Smith. Also known as Liza Kostyrkina, she was named one of the top 30 successful Ukrainians under 30 years by the Kyiv Post in 2017.

Her documentary film “School No. 3,” co-directed by German theater director Georg Genoux, won an award at the Berlinale in 2017. The film tells the story of 13 teenagers growing up in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas.

Smith told the Kyiv Post she was excited to join the Berlinale Talents school.

“I’m very interested to discover how other directors work with the crew, actors, how they find material for their project, which questions they ask,” she said. “My crew and I have just finished shooting a new film. I’m going to take some material with me so I can hear what other directors and screenwriters think about it. Maybe I could even find co-producers.”

The other Ukrainian participants of the Berlinale Talents school are two producers, Yulia Serdyukova and Alla Belaya, and director Svitlana Shymko.