IDFA opening film A Picture to Remember by Olga Chernykh has been acquired for world sales by Stranger Films Sales (France). The film will world premiere in IDFA’s Envision competition on November 8 and marks the first time a Ukrainian film will open the Amsterdam-based fest.
Synopsis (provided by Stranger Films Sales): ‘Olga Chernykh spent her childhood in Donetsk in the 1990s, before moving with her parents to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Her grandma stayed in the Donbas region, large parts of which were occupied by pro-Russian rebels in 2014. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the ensuing war, only increased the sense of distance between Chernykh and her grandmother.
‘A Picture to Remember is an essay-style account of the war from the perspective of three generations of women. There are frequent video calls between Chernykh, her mother (a pathologist working above a morgue, where it feels surprisingly safe during bomb attacks) and her grandmother. Recordings of their conversations are interspersed with photos and videos from the family archive, and news reports, as well as images of the parasites Chernykh’s mother observes with a microscope.
‘The result is a kaleidoscopic and personal film. Traveling fluidly through time, it connects the current violence in Donbas with the destruction there during the Second World War—as related by Chernykh’s grandmother. A sense of absence and loss prevails throughout.’
Tijana Djukic of Stranger Films Sales comments: “We left mesmerized by A Picture to Remember and Olya’s (director) magnetic personality deeply moved us. We strongly believe that this film will touch many and will resonate with a global audience. In today’s world, where, regretfully, tales like these are all too common, we firmly believe in the therapeutic potential of documentaries like this.”
Producer Regina Maryanovska-Davidzon (Real Pictures) comments: “For Olya Chernykh’s first feature film we decided to collaborate with Stranger Films Sales. Firstly because even though it’s a new company, they showed an excellent result representing the Ukrainian film We Will Not Fade away directed by Alisa Kovalenko.Secondly, our film is about three generations of Ukrainian women, made by a female director and produced by women, so it is quite natural that we expanded our female team with Tijana and Oksana.”
A PICTURE TO REMEMBER
Ukraine/France/Germany, 2023, 72 mins
Director: Olga Chernykh
Production: Regina Maryanovska-Davidzon for Real Pictures
Co-production: Laurence Uebersfeld for Lufilms, Flavia Oertwig for Tama Film Produktion
Cinematography: Yevgenia Bondarenko
Editing: Kasia Boniecka
Sound: Serhii Avdieiev
Sound Design: Benedikt Schiefer
Music: Maryana Klochko
World Sales: Stranger Film Sales
