Iankovskyi Fund and Ukrainian State Film Agency Have Presented the Ukrainian Cinema at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Kyiv, Ukraine, July 13, 2017 --(PR.com)-- At the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which has ended in Czech Republic, a film by Petro Bebyak “The Line” (producers Andriy Yermak and Wanda Adamik Hrycova) of Ukraine and Slovakia, presented in the main contest, has been awarded by Crystal Globe for the best director’s job. This is the first award of the kind for Ukrainian cinema-makers in many years. Amid Slovak actors, renowned Ukrainian masters of the stage – Rimma Ziubina, Stanislav Boklan and Oleksandr Piskunov have played in the film.

“It is pleasant to watch the development of the Ukrainian cinema industry in the last few years. My Foundation has been promoting Ukrainian cinema abroad for five years and now we see the first results of this work. The fact that Ukrainian movies are being selected for prestigious contests speaks volumes. We do have talented directors; we do have talented operators, script writers, actors. The industry commences to work; Ukrainian cinema becomes the in-thing. Two films with Ukrainian part have been presented in Cannes, two our movies have been competing in Karlovy Vary and we just learned that two more films have been selected for Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland). What is that, if not the success?” noted philanthropist Igor Iankovskyi.

It is to be noted, that Ukrainian participation at one of the most prestigious and oldest film festivals in Europe has been powerful as never before. Except the main contest, Ukrainian cinema has been presented in parallel program “East of the West” with a movie by Marina Stepanska “Rushing” (“Strimholov”). There also was a full-length feature film “Volcano” by Roman Bondarchuk in "Work in Progress" section. A debut by Mantas Kvedaravichus “Stasis” has been presented in the industrial section Eurimages Lab Project@KVIFF. Under this section has been conducted a workshop MIDPOINT Intensive @KVIFF, for which a scenario “Pamfir” by director and script writer Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk has been selected. The Docu Talents@KVIFF section presented a cinema project by Vika Tornton and Pavlo Jurov “(N)Ostalgia,” created in co-production of Ukraine, Luxembourg and Estonia.

All Ukrainian movies presented in Karlovy Vary have been created with support from the Ukrainian State Film Agency. Thus, the most numerous official delegation of Ukraine in festival’s history was hardly a surprise. The support group for Ukrainian cinema makers contained vice Prime Minister Pavlo Rozenko, minister of culture Yevhen Nyschuk, member of the National Television and Radio Council Ulyana Feschuk, head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency Pylyp Illienko and others.

In order to attract more attention to Ukrainian movies from the festival’s public, Igor Iankovskyi Foundation, NGO “Initiative for the Future” and Monegasque Association Helping Hand along with the Ukrainian State Film Agency, Slovak company Wandal Production and Ukrainian “Garnet Media” have organized and conducted a range of parties where the creative teams of Ukrainian movies have been presented.

And they were much-loved. The party in the main festival’s hotel Thermal, dedicated to “Rushing” (“Strimholov”) movie presentation, gathered not only usual goers like producers, directors, selectors and critics. It has been attended by renowned French actor and director, star of “The Matrix,” “Sahara” and “Odyssey” movies – Lambert Wilson. Answering the questions of Ukrainian journalists he stated that he would gladly star in Ukrainian film.

The real excitement in Karlovy Vary has been generated by a grand party in honor of the movie “The Line” (Ukraine and Slovakia). Not surprisingly, because of its venue – one of the most beautiful palaces of the city, situated in historical building Kaiserbad Spa (Imperial bathhouse), usually closed for tourists. Baroque atmosphere and magnificent architecture have been completed by authentic Slovak music band «IMT smile» that created the music for the movie. More than 600 guests have enjoyed sophisticated food and drinks, danced to rousing rhythms and taken pictures with Slovak and Ukrainian stars of the movie. “Everything that I see is magnificent and splendid!” noted renown Ukrainian director Serhiy Loznytsia, whose movie “Gentle” has recently entered to the Cannes Film Festival’s main contest. No wonder that the entire city has been discussing the event the next day and Ukrainian cinema-makers received quite a number of new cooperation propositions.

According to the festival’s management, the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival gathered 13 734 accredited visitors, 11 544 among them with entry badges, 398 cinema makers, 1165 cinema professionals and 617 journalists. During the festival, 505 screenings have sold 140 067 tickets. Overall 207 different films have been presented, generating lines among the willing to attend.

Igor Iankovskyi Charity foundation “Initiative for the Future” has been conducting business-lunches and solemn receptions at international film festivals in Cannes, Karlovy Vary, Berlin and Tallinn, along with the “Days of Ukrainian Cinema” event in Munich, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Budapest and Rome. These gatherings have resulted into fruitful cooperation between Ukrainian and international cinema-makers, new Ukrainian movies in both national and international box office.