Ukraine will be represented in the competitions of one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world by three films realised with State support. The world premiere of Valentin Vasyanovich’s film “Reflection†will take place in the main film review competition, Oleg Sentsov’s “Rhino†and Peter Kerekesh’s “Censor†in the “Horizons†competition programme.
Valentin Vasyanovich's new film "Reflection" is included in the main competition programme and competes for the main award of the festival: the "Golden Lion". The plot tells the story of a volunteer doctor who, after returning, tries to return to everyday life. He is talking to his ex-wife and 12-year-old daughter, who is also traumatized by the loss of her lover in the war.
Film project won during the 11th pitching of Ukrainian State Film Agency; ₴25. mil. UAH of state funding was awarded, which represents 80% of the total budget of ₴31.3 mil. UAH. It is worth reminding that Valentyn Vasyanovych won best film in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival for “Atlantis†in 2019.
The world premiere of Oleg Sentsov's film "Rhino"Â is scheduled take place on September 9, 2021Â in the Orizzonti section. The story centers around a ghanster Rhino, who's trying to survive Ukraine's "wild 90s". Rhino has only known power and cruelty, but with nothing left to lose, he could finally find a chance at redemption. Sensov also shared that the prototype for the film's main character, Rhino, was one of Sentsov's friends.
Filming began in July 2020 and ended in December 2020 and took place in Kryvyi Rih, Lviv and Kyiv. The film is a co-production of Ukraine, Poland and Germany.
Peter Kerekesh's film "Censor" is a joint production of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. The author is a Slovak documentary film director, winner of film festivals in Berlin, Leipzig and Toronto. "Censor" is his first feature film. In 2014, he wanted to make a documentary about prison censors in different cultures. After the start of filming in Ukraine, the creators decided to make a full-length feature film instead of a documentary.
The film tells the story of a young woman Lesya, who was sentenced to imprisonment in a correctional facility in Odessa. She has just given birth to her first child and has entered a world inhabited only by women: prisoners, nurses and caretakers, women of all ages, wives and widows, daughters, sisters, pregnant women, etc. If not for the colour of the uniform, sometimes it would be difficult to say who is who.
