Three Ukrainian directors and screen writers have been selected for residencies at Göteborg Film Festival summer 2023
The three selected participants will spend August-September in Gothenburg, working in different ways with their projects at the offices of Göteborg Film Festival and getting introduced to the local film industry. The residency programme is a cooperation with HDK-Valand, at the University of Gothenburg, and financed by Region Västra Götaland.
"Last summer’s residencies worked out really well and resulted in, among other things, finding a local co-producer for a film premiering in Berlin, new scripts being pitched in Cannes in May – and lifelong friendships. We are now looking forward to welcoming three new interesting and fascinating filmmakers in Gothenburg", says Camilla Larsson, Fund Manager, at Göteborg Film Festival.
Already in June an additional residency filmmaker arrived in Gothenburg, hosted by Göteborg Film Festival, in cooperation with Swedish Artist Residency Network (SWAN) and Artists at Risk, and with financing from Region Västra Götaland. Elena Rubashevska, was selected for development support for her project Symphony in Donbas from Göteborg Film Fund already in 2021, and was location scouting in Donbas when the full scale invasion came. She will now spend three months in Gothenburg working on developing film projects and organising the OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival that normally takes place in Ukrainian Bessarabia, but this year will relocate to Sofia, Bulgaria.
The three selected residency participants:
Andrii Lidahovskyi
Educated in directing at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. Has acted in the awarded short film It was raining in Manchester and in the feature My Thoughts are Silent, by Antonio Lukich, which was awarded at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Had the position as Art Director for the feature Luxemburg Luxemburg, by Antonio Lukich, which has been screened and awarded at festivals all over the world. Since 2016 he has been working as an art director for the international creative agency D2D. After having directed numerous music videos and commercials Andrii Lidahovskyi will now develop his first own feature length script and project, about identity and finding oneself.
”For the last 6 years before the war, Ukraine actively financed its films and had the opportunity to work on such projects. Now, because of the martial law, all film funding is on hold. But we can't have a cultural pause right now. That's why I'm looking for an opportunity at Göteborg to continue my work on the script. I already have some ideas, some main characters and plot twists. But I need time and a residency to write the main body of the script.”
Svitlana Lishchynska
Educated at the Priazovskyi State Technical University, Vitaly Mansky's and Alexander Mitta's courses and Terrarium Script Intensive. She has been working for more than 25 years for the leading Ukrainian TV channels and is now devoted to making documentaries in order to speak on serious social topics and express the author’s position. Her project A Bit of A Stranger, a film about the complexity of family relationships and how the political system affects them, was selected for development support from Göteborg Film Fund during 2022. Svitlana Lishchynska will now work on the editing of the film in Gothenburg
”By sharing the stories of those who have personally experienced loss of identity, I hope to promote life in freedom. I am confident that with the support and guidance of Göteborg Film Fund, I will be able to successfully complete this film and share it with viewers around the world. Our film is currently in the early stage of editing and I would really appreciate the opportunity to work in a safe location.”
Victoria Zadorska
Educated at the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University. Currently, she works as a screenwriter for animated stories at AMO Pictures. She has directed two award-winning projects: the short documentary "3 Days Before" and the short poetic film The Path as well as written several books. In Gothenburg Victoria Zadorska will develop her feature debut script My 19-year-old Nan, with a story taking place today during the present war and during the fight for freedom during the 1970’s Soviet Union.
”It is my desire to create strong Ukrainian stories and share them with viewers all over the world. The possibility to develop my new story in a residence in Göteborg. will help me focus on writing the script and sleeping well without being disturbed by loud bombs and air alarms. I truly believe that the story will have its world premiere in Cannes, European premiere in Gothenburg, American premiere in Los Angeles, and Ukrainian premiere in a peaceful Kyiv.”