Molodist-34: Victories and Autumnal Moods

Last weekend, Kyiv’s Ukrayina Palace hosted the traditional ceremony launching the 34th Kyiv Molodist Film Festival, which culminated in the screening of Kira Muratova’s Nastroyshchik [The Tuner]. Of course, the festival audience and media waited for the jury’s decision naming the favorites in three categories: student films, shorts and full-length movies, and of course the winning picture.

In fact, the jury, made up of Bohdan Verzhbytsky (Ukraine), Gennady Sidorov (Russia), Yuri Tereshchenko (Ukraine), and our celebrated fellow countryman Vadim Perelman (head of the jury, currently residing in the US), made a rather predictable decision, naming Icelandic director Runar Runarsson’s short The Last Farm, the winner (an award of 2,500 USD for subtitling by Laser Video Titles), a dramatic love story that literally lasts beyond the coffin. The prize for Best Student Film (worth $2,500) was awarded to an excellent documentary about the daily routine in a psychiatric hospital (God Plays Sax, the Devil, Violin) directed by Alexander Gulea of Germany. The Audience Award (plus Raymond Weil Swiss watch worth $2,000) was conferred on Shade (directed by Dustin Demri-Burns, Matt Pinder, GB), a rather tense mini-drama about children’s jealousies and love. The $1,000 Best Performance by a Young Actor Award was shared by Aksel Hennie of Norway and Emily Mortimer in the film Dear Frankie (Dir. Shona Auerbach (GB). Awards were also conferred on the Norwegian film Uno, a rather grim story that won the special FIPRESCI prize. Kontroll, (Dir. Nimrod Antal, Hungary), a phantasmagoria about the Budapest Metro, was named Best Feature Film and awarded a $2,500 bonus. The FICC jury concurred, adding their Don Quixote Prize. The Grand Prix — the Scythian Deer figurine — and $10,000 — was awarded to the Danish tragedy Aftermath (Dir. Paprika Steen). And there was a nice addition: our brilliant film director Kira Muratova received a special award from the Ukraine 3000 Charitable Foundation for special achievements in the advancement of Ukrainian cinematography.

These are the results of the nine-day marathon in Kyiv this past October. Look for a more detailed analysis of what happened during the 34th Molodist Film Festival in upcoming issues of The Day.