Same time, same place: six months, six premieres

Starting from August, in six months Ukrainians will see six big Ukrainian film releases. Fantasy, adventure, historical action, historical thriller, comedy and sports drama – the diversity of genres and themes will spur interest of even the biggest connoisseur. And what’s the most important - all films are based on Ukrainian material.  

The presentation of theatrical projects lineup will take place on July 15 in Multiplex Gagarinn Plaza, starting at 11 AM. Film market participants will see exclusive materials not demonstrated to the wide public before and will become the first viewers of teaser campaign to Crazy Wedding 2, the sequel to a comedy with the biggest box office in 2018.  

So this is what FILM.UA Group and MMD UA teams will present at the film market and this is what Ukrainian audience can be looking forward to in the cinemas in the following six months:  

POLINA AND THE SECRET OF FILM STUDIO

Genre: family, adventure, fantasy

Premiere: August 22, 2019

What the film is about: Polina doesn’t know anything about her past and the destiny of her parents. She lives in a house with her evil aunt and a cousin. They are secretly planning to get rid of the girl on her birthday to obtain secret inheritance, a film studio. Polina manages to escape, and she sets out on a magical journey to search for the truth about her family.

Why this is worth watching:

• A nice and emotional film is a great option to plan a family outing in the cinema.  
• The film’s director, co-producer and script co-author is Olias Barco whose film KillMePleaseobtained over 10 international prizes in 2010, in particular Best Director at OIFF.
• The cameraman is Thierry Arbogast, a recipient of Cesar award.  
• Jean Reno and Vasyl Virastyuk are in the cast! The other actors include Virginie Ledoyen, Edouard Baer, Saul Rubinek, Evnika Saadvakass, Severija Janusauskaite, Yana Novikova, and Polina Pechenenko playing her debut lead role.
• A chance to see the life of film studio from within is a must-see for film aficionados - plus incredible VFX, costumes and sets.  

FOXTER & MAX

Genre: adventure, fantasy, family.

Premiere: September 19, 2019

What the film is about: A 12-year-old schoolboy Max runs away from home and hides under the bridge. There he finds a spray can with nanopaint and draws a graffiti of a dog. Unexpectedly the graffiti comes to life and transforms into a nanorobot dog with superpowers. Now they are both chased by a dangerous criminal who won’t stop at anything to capture this powerful technology. Max finds himself in a whirlwind of adventures thanks to which he finds real friends.

Why this is worth watching:

• Possibly the first serious reflection on a global superhero trend in Ukrainian cinema.  
• Complicated 3D effects and character animation.
• A universal story, a dynamic plot and no age limits make the film relevant for the widest audience, from 1 to 99+.  
• The film was directed by Anatoliy Mateshko, an experienced cinematographer known for his works The Trumpet Player, Captivity and Bourjois’s Birthday. 

THE RISING HAWK

Genre: action, historical drama.

Premiere: October 10, 2019.

What the film is about: The year is 1241. The Mongol horde headed by khan Burunda is moving west, destroying everything on its way. Having reached the high Carpathian mountains, the troops stop at their foot. However, at night several local hunters, the Berkut brothers, secretly penetrate the camp and liberate hostages. Beside himself with fury, khan decides to move straight ahead to bring vengeance and destroy Carpathian villages. To do this, he finds a traitor among the locals who tells him about a secret passage in the mountains. However, a small group of mountain hunters headed by Zakhar Berkut has its plan to stop the numerous enemy for good.  

Why this is worth watching:

• A world class film.
• Based on an iconic novella Zakhar Berkut by Ivan Franko.
• The directors are Akhtem Seitablayev (Cyborgs, Khaytarma, A Foreign Prayer) and John Wynn.  
• A big international cast from Ukraine, the US, the UK, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.  
• A Hollywood actor Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, DieHard 2, X-Files) playing Zakhar Berkut.  
• The plot is based on one of the most heroic pages in the history of Ukrainian nation.
• The filming took place in summer close to Synevir clearing in Transcarpathian region and near Kyiv. Large sets portraying Tukhlya village, Tuhar Vovk’s mansion and a huge mountain gorge were constructed specially for the film. 
• Over 300 experts on the team, hundreds of weapons, expeditions to the west of Ukraine in search of authentic looks and textiles for character costumes and over 3 thousand units of handmade costumes as a result.  
• Powerful partners for the film – Lvivske TM first Ukrainian beer and Visa international brand.  

THE PRICE OF TRUTH (working title Mr Jones)

Genre: historical thriller

Premiere: November 28, 2019.

What the film is about: In 1933, Welsh reporter Gareth Jones is looking for his next big story. The latest news bring him to Moscow where he meets another journalist Ada Brooks. Ada opens his eyes to the “Soviet utopia” which has nothing to do with reality. And in spite of deadly threats Gareth starts his investigation. On the run from USSR special services, step by step he reveals the truth about the tragedy of Ukrainian people: the Famine, cruel censorship, conspiracy and mass reprisals. It is his revelations that will later become the basis for Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell.

Why this is worth watching:

• The plot is based on an investigation and an objective presentation of the biggest tragedy of the Ukrainian nation in the 20^th century.  
• An international project jointly produced by Poland (Film Produkcja with the support of Polish Film Institute), Ukraine (Kinorob with the support of Ukrainian State Film Agency) and the UK (Boy Jones Films).
• The global premiere took place at Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) on February 10, 2019.
• The film director is Agnieszka Holland, head of European Film Academy, recipient of Golden Globe, Silver Bear at Berlinale 2017, with numerous nominations for Academy Award, BAFTA, Goya and other prestigious film awards (In Darkness, House of Cards, The Wire).
• The role of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones was played by a British actor James Norton (Warand Peace, Mc Mafia, Happy Valley).The female lead of American journalist Ada Brooks was taken by Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission: Impossible – Fallout).

CRAZY WEDDING 2

Genre: crazy comedy.

Premiere: December 25, 2019.

What the film is about: The events of the new film take place in a year after Crazy Wedding. ONE MORE surprise, ONE MORE daughter and ONE MORE #CrazyWedding for your favorite characters. A chase, a new son-in-law, granddaughter Tarasa, Nazariy Zapukhlyak, father Yevlampiy, monks, celeb cast, tons of crazy adventures and even more great Ukrainian humor!

Why this is worth watching:

• A sequel to the comedy with the biggest box office in 2018 which set two national records: box office among all Ukrainian comedies and a record number of viewers for a film produced in Ukraine. Crazy Wedding became the film with the highest ranking on TV since 2009 by all main audiences.  
• Ukrainian show business celebs participating in the project: Potap and MONATIK, Oleg Vynnyk, Oleksiy Suprun (Petro Bumper) and Yuriy Gorbunov.  
• Yuriy Gorbunov is also the film’s producer.
• Hit soundtracks are created exclusively for the project by the film’s music producer Oleksiy Potapenko (Potap).  
• Crazy Wedding comedy became the first Ukrainian film with a format exported abroad. Presently the Lithuanian version of the film is in the making, negotiations with other countries are ongoing, and some arrangements have already reached the agreement-signing stage.

PULSE

Genre: sports drama.

Premiere: January 30, 2020

What the film is about: This is a story of a young Ukrainian track-and-field athlete from a small town with a big dream – to make it to the Olympic Games. Her sports career is only starting but due to a terrible car accident the girl suffers grave injuries and almost loses her eyesight. It might seem that now Oksana has no chances not only for the coveted Olympics but also for normal life generally. However, the girl doesn’t plan to give up and aims to prove that there are no obstacles on the way to a real dream.   

Why this is worth watching:

• The film plot is based on a real story of a Ukrainian track-and-field athlete Oksana Boturchuk.  
• The film was directed by a popular Ukrainian film and music video maker Sergiy Chebotarenko known for his works in advertising for big brands (Motorola, Lenovo, Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen, Socar, ELLE).
• The film’s cameraman is Yuriy Korol (The Stronghold, Cyborgs, The Rising Hawk).  
• The cast includes legendary Ukrainian actors like Stanislav Boklan, Akhtem Seitablayev, Lilia Rebryk, Oleksandr Kobzar and Natalia Dolya.   
• The real Oksana Boturchuk actively participates in the project. The athlete consulted authors during the screenwriting stage. Besides, Oksana works with actors and the film crew to replicate real trainings of professional athletes as true to life as possible along with the nuances of movement and behavior of a person whose eyesight is partially gone. 

“This is already a tradition to open OIFF Film Market with our lineup, that of FILM.UA Group. But summer of 2019 is special. First of all, we are doing this together with our strategic partners, MMD UA and Multiplex. Secondly, we present six films in different genres for different audiences and on different topics. But what unites all the films in our lineup is that each has a fascinating emotional story told by a very talented creative team. We understand that such packed schedule of premieres is a challenge for us. But we are ready to accept it, driving new audiences to the cinemas to watch high-quality and interesting Ukrainian films,” said Polina Tolmachova, marketing director at FILM.UA Group.  

“In 2014 exactly on the OIFF Film Market our company first announced to cinema directors, that Ukrainian cinematograph must exist! We were treated as aliens at that time, but we proceeded to promote the development of the national cinematograph. So it was a cherished dream to provide wide releases of high quality, modern and – the most important – Ukrainian product each month. We are grateful to our strategic partners FILM.UA Group and Multiplex, thanks to them it became possible. Today we want to unite the efforts of all the players of the film market to raise Ukrainian filmmaking to a new level – the level of blockbusters, “ said Roman Martynenko, Head of MMD UA.

Just a reminder: presentation of FILM.UA Group theatrical projects lineup jointly with MMD UA, exclusive distributor of these films on Ukrainian territory, will take place on July 15 in Multiplex Gagarinn Plaza, starting from 11 AM.

More accreditation details are available at OIFF official website on Film Market page.

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