The 41th international film festival Molodist started in a quite modest way in comparison to last year. There was no red carpet and not that many celebrities in Kyivska Rus’ cinema. But nevertheless, the main thing at a festival is the quality of the contest, the overall cinematographic filling, but not the presentations glitter.
Battle of Warsaw 1920, the first Polish 3D movie, became the opening film of Molodist. It was directed by a well-known to Ukrainian audience figure Jerzy Hoffman. By the way, Battle of Warsaw 1920 is the fourth film by Hoffman to open this festival. The cast includes such stars as Daniel Olbrychski, Michal Zebrowski, Boguslaw Linda, and Aleksandr Domogarov.
The film tells about the events that are altogether called “Miracle at the Wisla,” a legendary victory of Poles over the Red Army that invaded the country in 1920. Bolshevist leaders were dreaming of a worldwide revolution, and the chances of them turning that dream into reality were quite high, if to consider the situation in Europe at that time. The mere thought of what could have happened if those plans came true even partially, is frightening. In fact, Poles, who actually received help from the UNR military forces, saved the Western civilization then. English researschers listed “Miracle at the Wisla” as one of 18 the most prominent batlles of 20th century.
However, questions of cinematographic kind emerge at this point. Hoffman’s film cannot be called an outstanding one, it has its weak spots, though it is professionally made as for a mass movie production, and films of this kind are of vital importance to any national cinematography. Plenty of movies about crucial events of our own recent past could have been filmed, but it is always done by Poles, Russians, anyone else but us.
It is the fourth day of festival at the present. The shows of student contest are finished, it is time for professional short movies. Ukraine did not look very convincingly in the students contest: a film by Myroslava Khoroshun was produced with a sincere desire to show the artistic torments of a beginning director, but sincerity is not enough to make a good film.
In the short movie contest our country is represented more vividly – with a Cross-country by Maryna Vroda, which received the Golden Palm at Cannes this year. The main character, one of the school students who skip classes, in just one morning experiences expulsion, sees death, and finally, after he gets beaten up and disregarded by peers, he finds himself in a strange heaven, where on one bank his classmates are running the pointless cross-country race, on the other one careless grown-ups are having a rest, and in the middle, in the water, a half-naked boy flounders in a trasparent sphere – he is either as much of an outsider as the main character, either as stubborn, or a visible symbol of the future that awaits the character. In general, Cross-country is a deep, mature work about loneliness, growing up, dangerous taste of freedom, and it has great chances to be the winner in the short movie nomination.
There is a special contest with its own prize money for the rest of domestic films – Panorama of Ukrainian Cinematography. More than 20 films participate in it this year, including those that were co-producted with other countries.
Contestants are judged by the main international jury headed by Oksana Zabuzhko. Also the jury includes Eva Vezer, head of Magyar Filmunio (Hungary), Gregoire Colin, actor, producer, script writer, director (France), Sergey Loban, director (Russia), Deana Jakubiskova, producer, actress (Czech Republic, Slovakia). The International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI, Ecumenical Jury, and International Federation of Film Clubs Jury shall set their nominations. The audience of the festival will choose the owner of the People’s Choice Award through a rating voting. The symbol of the event, Scythian Deer, is the grand prix of the festival. Winners on all categories will receive a money reward as well.
Reviews of national cinematography schools prevail in out-of-competition programs: Ukrainian Premieres, French Connection, German Wave (former German Boulevard), New Russian Film, Scandinavian Panorama, Polish School of Animation, Polish Documentary Program, Long Nights of Short Film: Germany, Long Nights of Short Film: France. The best films from powerful forums are to be seen at Festival of Festivals. Cinergy (dedicated to digital cinematography), Eye on Films, and Deconstruction (a videoart rewiev) are going to be featured at Molodist for the first time.
Special projects are also going to take place at Molodist: third international coproduction market Molodist Boat Meeting; Talents Workshop – masterclasses by famous artists from different areas of cinematography; international meeting of Eastern European Film Alliance within the EEFA Training Network.
Some exclusive variety is added by special events: multimedia performance Portraits; Mania. The Story of a Tobacco Factory Worker, a special film screening accompanied by a chamber orchestra; premiere of journalistic film Khodorkovsky by Cyril Tuschi and a new work Arirang by Kim Ki-duk; a retrospective show of the famous French actress Sandrine Bonnaire, personalities’ actions Vaclav Havel, Roman Balaian 70, Ivan Mykolaichuk 75; Molodist for Children; artistic night dedicated to Oleksii Horbunov, retrospectives In Memoriam: Claude Chabrol, Liudmila Gurchenko; “Andrii Tarkovsky: Sacrifice” – a concert by New Era Orchestra; a photo exhibit; film screenings.
The festival will end on Sunday, October 30 with an announcement of the winners. The main events of Molodist take place in the Kyiv cinema.
