From November 22 to December 1 in Strasbourg (France), the Week of Ukrainian Cinema "Ukraine in Focus" will take place. 5 Ukrainian feature films will be shown at one of the oldest European film theaters "Odyssey"
The audience will be able to watch such Ukrainian films as "Donbas" by Sergei Loznitsa (November 22), "When the Trees Fall" by Marysia Nikitiuk (November 24), "Falling" by Maryna Stepanska (November 25), "Myth" by Leonid Kanter and Ivan Yasniy (November 26) and "The Gateway" by Volodymyr Tykhyi (December 1). In addition, a special screening of "Cyborgs" will be held at the Council of Europe. There will also be screenings of short films that participated and won at the Odesa International Film Festival - "In Joy" by Maryna Roshchyna and "Magnetic Storm" by Ihor Hansky.
The Week of Ukrainian Cinema "Ukraine in Focus" is organized by the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe and the Ukrainian State Film Agency. The co-organizer and partner of the event is the Odesa International Film Festival. Also among the event's partners are Odyssey Cinema (Strasbourg), Ukrainian International Airlines, the Ukrainian organizations in Alsace - "M.І.С.Т." and "Promo Ukraina", as well as the fund for cultural diplomacy UART.
"This will be the second time the festival "Ukraine in Focus" takes place. And, judging by our experience from last year, it really is necessary," says the general producer of the Odesa International Film Festival Julia Sinkevych. "Ukrainian cinema is still not well-known or demanded in Europe. But last year at this event we saw a great interest in Ukraine in general and in our cinema in particular. Accordingly, the program of the festival contains the best new Ukrainian films of different genres, both shorts and features. Sergei Loznitsa's "Donbas" will open the festival - this film is Ukraine's nominee for the Academy Award as the best film in a foreign language, and the winner of the best directing prize at Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival 2018."
"For the Days of Ukrainian Cinema in Strasbourg, we chose films that are different both in genres and in topics," said the State Film Agency Chairman Pylyp Illenko. "Cinema reflects reality, and it's very important for us to show the international audience what we care about and what modern Ukraine really is like."
