The fifth day of the 16th OIFF: competition screenings, “Odesan Accent” and high-profile premieres

The fifth day of the 16th OIFF began with the screening of the film “Sicilian Letters” directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza from the “Festival of Festivals” program. The film “The Forest” directed by Lidia Duda was presented as part of the “Focus on Poland” program. The European competition program of this day was supplemented by the film “The Black Hole” by Monika Simec.

The premiere of the program “Family Values: Life” also took place, where the audience saw the film “8” directed by Julio Medem. This time, the Wim Wenders retrospective presented the film “Wrong Move”, and the Carlos Saura retrospective presented the film “Raise Ravens”.

A separate block of the festival day was the program “Odesan Accent”, which showed Ukrainian films. In particular, the film “Gallery Norma” by Igor Gusev, who admitted: “The work lasted 17 years, and I started shooting the first video in 2008. Even then, I knew that these frames would become part of the future film.”

“Odesan Accent” also opened other works for the audience: “I Don’t Want Others to Talk About Me” by Dmytro Tomashpolsky and “Domicile” by Sergei Rachmanin.

The “Gala Premiere” program on the fifth day was presented by the series “The Artist” directed by Oleksiy Taranenko and Denys Tarasov — an intriguing spy story, a detective that reveals the deep layers of modern problems. There was also a presentation of the film “The EUkrainian” by Viktor Nordensjelda. “I came to Ukraine 30 years ago. Then I was a student and studied to be a journalist. Since I was involved in films for politicians, the choice of topic for the future film was obvious. When we were shooting the film, we first thought about Ukrainians. But we also wanted to create a film for an international audience, so that viewers abroad would better understand Ukrainians, our mentality, learn more about Ukraine and the process of integration into the European Union,” said Viktor Nordensled.

The European competition program was continued by the film “The Eternity Man” Man directed by Ivan Nikolaychuk. The producer of the work, Iryna Asonova, emphasized: “We must appreciate what we have and be more aware of our happiness at this moment. This film is not about the hero, but about the feelings of the viewer, about what you can take from this story for yourself.”

Next, the festival audience saw the film “Escort” by Lucas Nola from the “Festival of Festivals” program. The day concluded two premieres: “El 47” by Marcel Barrena from the Best of Europe program and the documentary “Divia” from the National Documentary Competition program. Dmytro Hryshko, the film’s director, noted: “We started developing the idea for the film at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. We were able to shoot these shots only because the defense forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine deoccupied part of the territories, which allowed us to see and record the damage to nature.”

In addition to film screenings, the sixth day of the festival continued with the Film Industry Office section, dedicated to the development of Ukrainian film projects and television content. The program discussed state support for cinema, the production of series in an era of change, and the creation of content for platforms.

The program was opened by the presentation “Reform and modernization of the Law on State Support of Cinematography in Ukraine”, moderated by the Director General of the Ukrainian International Film Festival Anna Machukh. The Head of the State Film Agency of Ukraine Andriy Osipov emphasized: “I have a dream: for the State Agency of Cinematography to be closer to cinema than to the state apparatus. We are interested in producers creating films, directors shooting, cameramen working, artists - the entire film crew creating, and in this process there should be state support, not state leadership”.

Consultant of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Oleksandr Maksymchuk emphasized: “We must ensure that the industry works no matter what. The spirit of our bill is support for education, educational events and student thesis. We need a young generation of filmmakers, talented and ready to prove themselves. What is a small amount for the state can be crucial for a student for his work”.

Head and producer of the UPHub production company Olga Panteleimonova added: “The main goal of state support, in particular commercial projects, is to inject blood into the industry. Especially during such a period. I am worried about the reconstruction of cultural centers, cinemas, and only in this way will the industry be able to develop. Commercial cinema in the future should become independent of state support - this is what we strive for.”

After a short break, a discussion “Ukrainian TV series in an age of change: heroes, genres, the search for a new sincerity” took place, moderated by Starlight Production creative producer Oksana Kalytyuk. FILM UA producer Anna Yeliseeva noted: “Ukrainian content is currently a search for a compromise: how to be honest about the fact that we live, that among us are veterans, people with injuries and losses, but at the same time give viewers a feeling of warmth and comfort. This is a balance between drama and comedy, a search for a compromise with ourselves.”

Showrunner and creative producer of ICTV Dmytro Khrypun added: "Our viewer is a realist and does not want fictional stories about fictional people. The events taking place since 2022 are a new reality. The stories are not about war, but about the fact that war has not disappeared anywhere - it is with us."

UPHub producer Viktoriya Burdukova emphasized: “In order to show certain events, you need to have “historical depth”. The event must end, and then you can rebuild a dialogue with the viewer, convey your opinion, remaining honest and not hurting other people's feelings.”

Creative producer of TET Roman Lukin spoke about the practical aspects of production: “The marginal case is our pain. We constantly take it into account. We need series with an updated setup. At night during the shelling, I watched “Friends”: when you hear a rocket buzzing, you want a sense of security. Series that are not updated by the war help to gather and unite.”

The industry day ended with a discussion on the production of our own content for platforms in Ukraine. The discussion was moderated by Maryna Kaplun, Head of Content at Kyivstar TV. The speakers were Anna Gonchar, producer of “Tykha Nava”, head of investment and partnership projects at the 1+1 media Television Business; Natalia Panchenko, Head of Purchasing and Content Development Strategy Department, Kyivstar TV; Valeria Tolochyna, Marketing Director, MEGOGO; Yuriy Povoroznyk, Chief Content Editor and General Producer of the Online Cinema SWEET.TV.

The Odesa International Film Festival is supported by:

Ukrainian State Film Agency

The European Union and Creative Europe Desk Ukraine

Adam Mickiewicz Institute “Instytut Adama Mickiewicza”

Polish Institute in Kyiv

German Films

In partnership with the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine

Official Sponsor – ARARAT

Official Automotive Partner – BMW Ukraine

General Partner of Film Industry Office – UPHub

Official jewelry partner - Carrera Y Carrera General

Technological Partner -Hisense