Ukrainian films awarded at Berlinale: the results of the film festival and the European film market

The 73rd Berlin International Film Festival and the European Film Market took place and there were held a number of events dedicated to Ukraine.

The winners of the 73rd Berlinale were announced on 25 February. Among them are two Ukrainian films that received festival awards. The Ukrainian-German documentary “Waking Up in Silence” by Mila Zhluktenko and Daniel Asadi Faezi received a special award for the best short film in the Generation Kplus program, as well as 2,500 euros from the German children’s charity Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk. The film tells about the war through the eyes of Ukrainian women and children who, due to the Russian war in Ukraine, were forced to take refuge in Germany.

The feature short film “It’s a Date” by Nadia Parfan, which was included in the competition program of the Berlinale Shorts, received a special distinction from the International Jury. The film tells about the capital of a country where a full-scale war is going on, but where life in all its manifestations does not stop.

The main award of the 73rd Berlin Film Festival was received by French director Nicolas Philibert’s documentary “On the Adamant” about a Parisian center for the care of people with mental disorders.

During the Berlinale there was the Ukrainian National Stand organized jointly by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Film Industry Association of Ukraine, Film Industry Association of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Motion Picture Association and with the financial support of German Films with the assistance of the European Film Market. The catalog of Ukrainian production companies (Production Guide of Ukraine) and opportunities for cooperation with Ukraine in the field of cinema were showcased within the Ukrainian stand. Also within the EFM was a presentation of Ukrainian producers SPOTLIGHT on Ukrainian Producers, organized by the Ukrainian Institute.

During the EFM the panel discussion “Moving on: Ways to (co-)fund Ukrainian Audiovisual Content” took place. The joint event was organized with funding from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg as part of an initiative to support the Ukrainian film industry at the European Film Market. More details at the link.

At the Pitching of the Odesa International Film Festival, 12 Ukrainian film projects selected by the OIFF were presented, including projects of feature films, documentaries, short films and serials. Participation of Ukrainian productions at the Berlin Film Market was supported by USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP). The initiative is being implemented in cooperation with Goethe-Institut. Find out more about Pitching here.

Also during the European Film Market of the Berlin Film Festival, a round table was held dedicated to the launch of the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Cinema (ESFUF), the purpose of which is to help Ukrainian filmmakers and promote co-production. ESFUF is funded by contributions from 16 partners from 13 countries and the EFAD.

The budget for 2023 is 1,051,000 euros. Development support will be capped at €25,000 for documentaries and €50,000 for feature films or animation. Support for films at the final stage will be limited to 75,000 euros. The amount of the fund continues to replenish. The accumulated funds are considered Ukrainian, so it will facilitate the creation of films by granting rights to the Ukrainian production. Applications are currently being accepted from Ukrainian filmmakers. Read more about the event at the link.

In addition, during the film market, the #UCANCOPRODUCE event was held, which brought together about a hundred participants from Ukraine and Canada. They joined a discussion on film production and distribution during the war as part of a round table organized by the #ucancoproduce initiative, which aims to put into practice the Audiovisual Co-Production Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Canada. which was ratified in 2020. More – follow the link.

And on the day of the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on the red carpet of the Berlinale, action of solidarity with Ukraine was held with the participation of the Ukrainian delegation, as well as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Germany Oleksiy Makeev, the German Minister of State for Culture and Media Claudia Roth, such as Kristen Stewart, Golshifteh Farahani and others.