On September 28, the film U Are The Universe, directed by Pavlo Ostrikov, won its first international awards at the Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg. The film received the festival's top honor, the Golden Octopus, as well as the Silver Melies award, which opens the path to competing for the prestigious Golden Melies award for European genre cinema!
Congratulations to the creative team on their victory and best wishes for future achievements! The world premiere of Pavlo Ostrikov's debut film 'U Are The Universe' took place in the Discovery programme at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
In 2020, the film project was one of the winners of the 14th competitive selection by the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
The production company ForeFilms began preparations for filming, creating elaborate set designs in the studios of the National Film Archive of Ukraine, as well as an animatronic robot that moved autonomously in the frame, and designs for the spaceship and interiors to portray all space scenes in a truly "cosmic" manner.
"U Are The Universe" is a sci-fi tragicomedy about a Ukrainian truck driver, Andriy, who becomes the last living being in the universe after the explosion of Earth. He establishes communication with a French scientist, Catherine, and they decide to journey towards each other despite the vast distance.
The lead role is played by Volodymyr Kravchuk, currently a serviceman in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with his partner being the robot Maksym, voiced by Leonid Popadyk, also a military serviceman.
The film was created with the support of the State Film Agency and produced by ForeFilms in co-production with Ukraine and Belgium.
The film is set to be released in Ukrainian theaters in spring 2025.