The Ukrainian-Dutch Film "Forever-Forever" Triumphed at the Cottbus Film Festival
"Forever-Forever" the debut film by Ukrainian director Anna Buryachkova, won the main prize at the 33rd International Film Festival in Cottbus, Germany.
This was announced on the festival's official social media page.
"Forever-Forever" is the coming-of-age story of Ukrainian girl Tonya, unfolding against the backdrop of one of Ukraine's most critical periods - the so-called 'turbulent 90s.' This era immediately followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, marked by dramatic post-totalitarian transformations, accompanied by poverty, violence, and the lifting of previously existing prohibitions and restrictions.
The main protagonist transfers from a prestigious school in central Kyiv to an educational institution in one of the densely populated residential districts of the city. Tonya encounters new acquaintances, who introduce her to an unseen world filled with dangerous amusements and adventures.
"This film is a love song to the lost teenagers of the late '90s, who grew up amidst the ruins of the Soviet regime. They were told: if no one loves you, you don't deserve to survive. Seeking love and approval in others' eyes, we lived, compromising with violence and injustice to attract more attention," noted Buryachkova on her social media page.
The film had its world premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival in the competition program, Orizzonti Extra.
Cottbus Film Festival is considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in Eastern Europe. Among this year's winners is also the film "All Is Well" by Belarusian director Anton Zhuk, which won the main prize in the short film competition, and director Rezo Gigineishvili, who received a special award for the best direction for the work "Patient No. 1"
Earlier, The Gaze reported that two Ukrainian films, 'Diagnosis: Dissent' and 'Photophobia,' received awards at the 39th Warsaw International Film Festival.
The Slovak-Czech-Ukrainian film "Photophobia" directed by Ivan Ostrakhovsky and Pavol Pekarcik, was recognized as the best full-length documentary film. The film tells the story of the life of 12-year-old boy Niko, who, along with his family, hides from Russian missile strikes in the Kharkiv metro stations.
A special mention in the competition program for young directors went to Denis Tarasov for the film "Diagnosis: Dissent", which tells the story of a man consigned by Soviet authorities to a psychiatric hospital for his love of forbidden Western rock music.