On Sunday, September 26, screenings of student films in the International Competition began. The discussion was attended by Jan Gurecki, director of The Reporter, and Roman and Yaroslav Oleksiv, the protagonists of Romchyk.
One of the most attended events of September 26 was the screening of Nadia Parfan’s film Birds and Beasts. The Universe of Hnizdovsky. The audience came with their pets — dogs and cats — and even the main star, the cat who played Jerome, was present. The film was introduced by director Nadia Parfan, producer Yuliya Sinkevych, Serhiy Nedzelskyi (Head of External Production of Socially Impactful Content and Co-Productions at Suspilne), and the producer from Suspilne, Aliona Holiakova.
Serhiy Nedzelskyi noted that premieres of Suspilne-produced films have become a good tradition at the Molodist Film Festival. Nadia Parfan expressed hope that new, in-depth studies about artist Yakiv Hnizdovsky would emerge.
The FORMA program hosted the premiere of Roman Kurhan’s film The Scent of Lilac.
“This film is the first part of a trilogy called The Silent Trilogy. It’s called that because there are no words here — in the next part some speech appears, and in the third film there will be full dialogue. The idea of this particular film comes from my memories. I wouldn’t call it a documentary in the technical sense, since not a single shot was filmed specifically for it — everything you see is real. This is the neighborhood where I grew up; nothing was changed. The idea was to capture time and spend 24 hours in the place where I spent the first ten years of my life,” said director and musician Roman Kurhan.
The first industry workshops also took place. During the masterclass Myths and Truths About Screenwriting by screenwriter, director, and Ukrainian Film School curator Yaroslav Voytsechek, participants learned about essential aspects and practical insights into starting a screenwriting career.
“The whole world around us is material for a script. You have to start noticing life. Usually, we ride the subway with headphones on, trying to get somewhere quickly. But a screenwriter should look around and notice what’s happening — and ask: ‘Why is this happening?’ All of that can become great material,” said Yaroslav.
Right after that, a workshop was held by Tetiana Kremen, costume designer of Do You Love Me?
Another highlight was a reception hosted by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, where Ambassador Martin Åberg presented the film Eagles of the Republic. There was also the premiere of Andrii Vaitovych’s TheUnbroken.
On October 27, screenings of international short films were held with the participation of guests. The films were presented by Lisa Anderson, producer of Shards of Us by director Lela Meburishvili. Screenwriter of Gates of Europe Sofia Lys shared her thoughts: “It’s very special to me that Gates of Europe was made from emotion and at the edge of exploration.”
Producer of Shards of Us Lisa Anderson added: “I wanted this film to resonate with every person in the world.”
On October 28, audiences enjoyed films from the Festival of Festivals section, the Documentary Competition, and two sessions of Teen Screen and the Short Film Competition.
“The Nature of Invisible Things was nominated for the Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale and won Best First Feature at the Frameline Queer Film Festival in San Francisco. It’s a story about two girls united by a shared goal — to finally leave the hospital — and who find strength in each other,” said Molodist programmer Bohdan Zhuk.
Viewers also had the opportunity to meet the team behind Oksana including Albina Korzh and the star of Ukrainian cinema Maryna Koshkina. Actress Albina Korzh shared details of her shoot preparation: “This is my first leading role in a full-length international film. I poured so much of my energy, time, and effort into it. For me, it’s a story about believing in yourself, your values, and accepting who you truly are. That’s what I discovered while working on this film. It was incredibly hard, but absolutely worth it.”
Director Gabriele Urbonaitė spoke about the making of her film Renovation: “The idea came to me about six or seven years ago, and I spent a long time developing it. It rarely happens that an idea arrives so fully formed. When we started filming, the full-scale invasion began, and I realized I had to reflect part of that reality in my film.”
Actor Roman Lutskyi discussed his collaboration with the director: “I was very happy when Gabriele offered me the role without an audition. She said, ‘I want to work together!’ We talked about the project a year or two before shooting began, and on set it was truly a mutual creative connection — I could feel it. I was lucky to work with such a wonderful team.”
Co-director of In Case We Never Meet Again Beau Willimon reflected on the creative focus of the project: “From the start, we knew we didn’t want to make journalism — Ukraine already has many talented journalists documenting this war. We were searching for something else — something we could express through our own curiosity and perception. Our goal was not journalism, but poetry. And poetry means finding what rhymes — what comes together musically and becomes part of the film.”
Co-director Noaz Deshe commented on the film’s editing process: “There are no staged moments in this film, except for the dream sequences. Its core is made of material we witnessed ourselves, where we were present. But in editing, inevitably, you add something from your own point of view.”
The festival is held with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency and theNational Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine.
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