Ukrainian filmmakers Tetiana Dorodnitsyna (pictured)and Andriy Litvinienko’s Mother of Angels picked up the Bank Millennium Award May 15 for the Best Eastern European Project at the Milennium Against Gravity FF. The project, which is currently at shooting stage, was presented at the Eastern Europe Against Gravity pitch session for young filmmakers from Ukraine and Belarus.
The project synopsis reads how, “on the outskirts of the city, in an abandoned industrial zone, you can hear dogs barking behind the fences. Starving, dirty animals wander around the abandoned buildings of a ruined thermal power plant. They sneak among rubbish covered with sparse plants. The scenery resembles that from catastrophic science fiction movies. The last righteous try to preserve the crumbs of humanity by saving animals abused by other people, feeding them, dressing their wounds, hugging them.
“The war further highlighted the problem of homeless animals, many of them lost their homes due to the war. The shelter in Mykolaiv, where the protagonists of the film used to work, has been bombed. Although there are many wounded people around, Anna and Vika also rescue wounded animals. The film is a story of the essence of humanity, which is manifested in our attitude towards animals.
“If we are able to preserve them, even in the terrible times of war, then there is hope that we will survive,” the synopsis concludes.
The jury citation reads: “Is the life of a dog or a rabbit more important? A cat or a polecat? As humans, we have long since decided that our lives matter most. That’s why so many people are surprised that the heroines of the winning project don’t leave their war-torn country while they feel responsible for the animals in their care. We are awarding this prize to a film project that has all the hallmarks of being, on the one hand, a very intimate and moving story, and on the other, a story that is universal and readable for people all over the world. We hope it will make us rethink the essence of humanity.”
Highlights of the festival so far include a meeting between two “masters of archival footage” – Sergei Loznitsa and Bill Morrison – who discussed their craft after the 15 May screening of some of the latter’s work.
On Monday May 16, industry guests attended a panel “On the Future of Documentary Filmmaking” that included Thom Powers (Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC), Laura van Halsema (IDFA) and Kim Christiansen (DR Sales), and was moderated by Ola Salwa. The panel was preceded by a breakfast organised by KIPA (Polish Producers Alliance).
The 19th Millennium Docs Against Gravity FF runs to May 22, before heading online from May 24 to June 5.
