The feature film "Do you love me?" directed by Tonya Noyabrova will present Ukraine in the Panorama Berlinale program, where it will have its world premiere. The film was shot in Ukraine by Family Production with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency in co-production with Commonground Pictures and the Scandinavian film fund Film i Väst.
Panorama is a program of the Berlin Film Festival that brings together films from around the world with a pronounced political, gender, or social context. In "Panorama", non-standard films are usually selected, and the audience jury awards the main prize.
"Do You love Me?" — a coming-of-age story that takes place on the eve of the fall of the USSR. 17-year-old Kira witnesses the divorce of her parents, the collapse of one country, and the birth of another. The main roles were performed by Karina Khimchuk, Natalia Lazebnikova, Oleksandr Zhila and Maksym Mykhailychenko.
"This is a personal story of my growing up and the formation of a generation," comments director Tonya Noyabrova. "This is my song about saying goodbye to childhood illusions and the desperate search for love. I wanted the audience to feel our past slipping away like sand through our fingers. My Kira symbolizes my generation, the first generation of independent Ukraine."
Before the Berlinale, the film took part in the Work in progress section of the Cannes and Stockholm film festivals at the Tallinn Black Nights and Ukraine Now venues, which presented contemporary Ukrainian cinema. It was also selected for the San Sebastian festival's official Work in progress program. The premiere is scheduled for 2023.
