ALEX FARBA

MOLODIST 46, KIEV Int'l Film Festival KIFF

By Alex Deleon-Pevney    

The Scythian Deer is the Ukrainian equivalent of Hollywood's Oscar.

The purpose of the festival is to promote young professional cinema,  hence the name "Molodist", which is Ukrainian for Youth.

The forty sixth edition of the Kyiv (Formerly Kiev) international film festival Molodist KIFF opened officially on Friday night, October 22 with an invitational VIP gathering and full evening of events at the classic Ivana Franko Theater in the old part of the city. The highlight of the evening was an address by former Ukrainian president, Victor Jushchenko, hero of the Orange Revolution and currently honorary president of the Molodist festival. Thee Orange Revolution (Помаранчева революція) a series of mass protests beginning in November 22, 2004, marked a turning away from Russian influence and a definite swing toward the Nato nations of western Europe.  In his remarks which evoked strong applause CItizen Jushchenko stated  that the Molodist Film festival "has become a powerful creative laboratory and a birthplace of new ideas -- But most importantly, Molodist (which means Youth)  helps to build a new generation of patriotic Ukrainians with a European outlook".

 Following his opening address Jushchenko introduced the special guest of this year's festival, famous Hungarian female director Martha Mezáros, (85 and still going strong) who was regaled with an honorary Scythian Deer award for her invaluable contribution to world cinema.

Among her numerous international awards Mezáros has received both Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards at Berlin, a Fipresci prize at Cannes and a Silver Concha at San Sebastian. In her long prolific career she has directed 62 feature films to date and shows no signs of slowing down. She has worked with such distinguished actresses as Delphine Seyrig, Anna Karina, Fanny Ardant, and Isabelle Huppert, as well as many Polish stars including her ex husband Jan Nowicki. One of her major films referencing the Hungarian anti-Russian revolution of 1956, "The Unburied Man" starring Nowicki as Martyred Hungarian prime Minister Imre Nagy, will be presented here in the coming days.

Victor Jushchenko introduces Hungarian director Martha Mezáros at opening ceremony of Molodist

Various other local celebrities were introduced and a troupe of children folk dancers formed a mobile centerpiece of the evenings entertainment, this followed by a screening of the opening film, a French period drama entitled "Une VIe" directed by Stephane Brizé.

This film received the Fipresci award at Venice in September but turned out to be such a study in ennui that I took an early raincheck well before the halfway mark.

Highly Eclectic Programming

At Molodist, which has become one of the premier East European festivals if not the singular topper, there are no Hollywood stars to be gaped at, nor, in fact, any west European stars to be seen, just a stunning array of craftily programmed films from lesser known film producing countries (Kyrgyzistan, Afghanistan, Lithuania), of course a showcase for Ukrainian films which are very under-represented on the main festival circuit, and a canny selection of historical world classics. Many directors, of course, are on hand to hold Q&As after their screenings. All films not in Ukrainian have both English and Ukrainian subtitles -- which provides a handy instant language lesson for learners of either one. Ukrainian language films have English subtitles only as Ukrainians obviously do not need subtitles to understand their own lingo