Day Seven of 16th OIFF: European Premieres and Classics Retrospective

On September 30, the seventh day of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival took place in Kyiv. The packed program included screenings of audience favorites from international sections, competition film premieres, and meetings with film professionals.

The day began with the screening of “The Property” by director Dana Modan within the “Focus on Poland” section. The “Festival of Festivals” program presented “The Mastermind” by Kelly Reichardt. Within Wim Wenders’ retrospective, the audience watched “The State of Things”.

In the European Competition program, two films were screened: “Wishing on a Star” by Peter Kerekes and “It’s Not My Film” by Maria Zbońska. As programmer Alik Shpilyuk noted, the latter has already gained strong international recognition: “The director, Maria Zbońska, is a debut filmmaker. Last year at the national festival in Gdynia, she won the Andrzej Żuławski ‘Golden Claw’ award for the most original and unconventional film. And this year, at the Polish national ‘Golden Eagles’ awards, she received two prizes — as Best Director in Poland and as Breakthrough of the Year,” he emphasized.

Within Carlos Saura’s retrospective, the cult film “Oh, Carmela!” was also presented.

The seventh day was also marked by the launch of a new program, The Human Comedy. The first film in this section was “Who is Who?” by Martín Cuervo. In the “Family Values: Children” program, the audience saw “Babies Don’t Come with Instructions” by Marina Seresesky.

Among the “Gala Premieres”, the film “Second Wind” by Maria Kondakova was presented. The screening was a special event, given its unusual journey to audiences.“This film was born out of love and inspiration. Its creation was a challenge for the team — emotionally, physically, and creatively. Producer Hennadii Hazin made an unusual decision: he insisted we skip the traditional international festival circuit and show the film to audiences as soon as possible — literally a week after finishing it,” shared Maria Kondakova.

As part of the “German Accent” section, the festival showcased “Riefenstahl” by Andres Veiel. For Ukrainian viewers, this was also a special return: in 2017, during the 8th edition of OIFF, one of his films participated in the European Competition. Now his work was again presented at the festival, but in a different program. The world premiere of “Riefenstahl” took place last year at the Venice Film Festival, and in Germany it sparked wide public debate. “The film has already been screened in Germany and attracted great interest. I think many people know the name Leni Riefenstahl. Some experts say that without her innovative ideas, Hitler would not have been portrayed the way he was. At that time, women rarely worked in directing. Before becoming a filmmaker, Riefenstahl was an actress in physically demanding films shot, for example, in the mountains of Greenland. But it was precisely those roles that brought her fame,” noted Fabian Mültaler, Director of the Goethe-Institut.

The day concluded with a screening in the National Documentary Competition — “The Interception Game” directed by Volodymyr Mula. “It turned out to be a very complex film. At first, we conceived it as a sports documentary, but in the end, it became something very different. Now I would call it a sports-social documentary,” the director commented.

In addition to film screenings, the seventh day was filled with creative events. Festival audiences and participants attended two masterclasses: "Holos na Milion" by actress Natalka Denysenko, and a public discussion “The Distance to Independence: Real History in Film”, which became an opportunity to reflect on the connection between art and documentary truth. “The voice is a working tool for absolutely everyone, regardless of profession: whether a director, producer, or even a cashier at a supermarket. Acting skills are about mastering your voice, body, and psycho-physical state,” emphasized Natalka Denysenko.

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