Ukraine produces around 35 films a year. Most of these are small scale dramas; action films are rare. Taking on an epic story like that of Zakhar Berkut with a big budget and an international cast is ambitious indeed. A huge hit on release there last year, the film, renamed The Rising Hawk, is now about to be released internationally, but it's a very different experience if you don't have the same cultural background and sense of national pride - so how does it translate?
Whilst it's billed as a historical epic based on real events, it's important to understand that the latter description applies only in a loose sense. The film was already been attacked for inaccuracy, which is not altogether fair - like its Scottish counterpart Braveheart, it's actually adapted from a historical novel - Ivan Franko's Zakhar Berkut, previously filmed by Leonid Osyka in 1972 - which...
Whilst it's billed as a historical epic based on real events, it's important to understand that the latter description applies only in a loose sense. The film was already been attacked for inaccuracy, which is not altogether fair - like its Scottish counterpart Braveheart, it's actually adapted from a historical novel - Ivan Franko's Zakhar Berkut, previously filmed by Leonid Osyka in 1972 - which...
- 9/27/2020
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A remarkable trove of cinematic riches from Ukraine, much of it rarely seen outside the country, is headlining several sections of the Ji.hlava docu fest this year, with especially strong showings in the Fascinations section, dedicated to experimental work.
That genre has long been a signature element of Ji.hlava, which invariably screens experimental, essay and convention-breaking films many audiences would hardly expect to encounter at an event nominally dedicated to documentaries.
But, as programmer Andrea Slovakova points out, Ji.hlava has for years taken up the challenge of bringing to audiences all manner of fringe and underground film from throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
What she calls “radically poetic and lyrical films” are just one strain of the work from Ukraine being celebrated at Ji.hlava this year, Slovakova says, most made by successors or students of Sergei Parajanov or Feliks Sobolev, whose work is feted in a tribute section.
That genre has long been a signature element of Ji.hlava, which invariably screens experimental, essay and convention-breaking films many audiences would hardly expect to encounter at an event nominally dedicated to documentaries.
But, as programmer Andrea Slovakova points out, Ji.hlava has for years taken up the challenge of bringing to audiences all manner of fringe and underground film from throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
What she calls “radically poetic and lyrical films” are just one strain of the work from Ukraine being celebrated at Ji.hlava this year, Slovakova says, most made by successors or students of Sergei Parajanov or Feliks Sobolev, whose work is feted in a tribute section.
- 10/24/2019
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.