Four Ukrainian directors and screen writers have now been selected to the residencies that was announced in May. Parallelly Göteborg Film Fund: Ukraine is now sizing up, with additional support for dissemination of Ukrainian films, as well as to filmmakers working in Ukraine. 

More than 35 applications were submitted for the residency programme, which is a cooperation with HDK-Valand, at the University of Gotenburg, and financed by Region Västra Götaland. Three of the participants will arrive during the end of June/beginning of July, and the fourth in August. 

At the same time Göteborg Film Fund: Ukraine is expanding its activities. During the autumn of 2022 and spring of 2023 the fund will support international dissemination and launching of urgent and independent Ukrainian films, as well as filmmakers still active inside Ukraine, with development grants and equipment. The support programme also includes screenings of Ukrainians films in Sweden as well as panels and discussions around the role of moving images in relation to democracy, artistic freedom and free speech, taking place at Göteborg Film Festival, physically and online, and on the festival’s streaming platform Draken Film. The project is supported by The Swedish Postcode Foundation, within the frame of their focus on artistic freedom, and by the Swedish Institute and their emergency support for Ukraine. 

– We are looking forward to welcoming four interesting and fascinating filmmakers in Gothenburg. Of course, it has not been easy to do the selection, considering the situation, and therefore the fact that we now can launch a bigger support programme is great and important news. Now we can make an imprint on a bigger and broader level and contribute to the continued existence of the Ukrainian film industry, at the same time as a bigger number of Ukrainian films can be seen by an international audience, who will get a more nuanced view of the country, its history and the present situation and war. Hopefully the result will also be an increased awareness of the importance of nurturing artistic freedom and democracy in Europe as a whole, says Camilla Larsson, Fund Manager, at Göteborg Film Festival.

– To show solidarity with people who are not allowed to live in peace, where especially freedom of speech is limited, is urgent. Göteborg Film Festival has access to a large network within the film sector and it is our belief that we in this way can strengthen the development of film, says Conny Brännberg, regional councilor, Region Västra Götaland.

The four residency participants:

Eva Dzhyshyashvili

Educated at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts and Ukrainian Institute of Public Relations and Television. Has directed the short documentaries 15 Minutes More, Yar and Z.P: Gelvakha. Was awarded for best documentary for her feature debut Plai. A Mountain Path when the Ukrainian festival Docudays UA visited Krákow Film Festival in the beginning of June. Eva Dzhyshyashvili plans to work with the development and script for her new project Box #64, where she investigates archives in a societal, historical and philosophical context. She is also working on scripts for a short and a feature fiction film.

Roman Khimei

Educated at the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University. Active as an award winning director, cinematographer and artist. Has directed the short documentary State Institution, the feature documentary New Jerusalem and the short film installations Dedicated to the Youth of the World and Father, to Whom Have You Abandoned Us, together with Yarema Malashchuk. Roman Khimei plans to work with and find cooperations for the production of his debut feature fiction Eroica, taking place in 1939 in Ukraine, when the country is occupied by Soviet troops.

Tonia Noyabrova

Educated at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. Has directed the awarded short films Independence Day and Everything will be all right and the feature debut Hero of My Time. She is in post-production with her second fiction feature Do You Love Me?, which has participated as work in progress at a number of festivals. Tonia Noyabrova plans to work with the script for a a comedy about Ukrainian refugees in Europe and look for partners for parts of the postproduction of Do You Love Me?

Antonio Lukich

Educated at the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University. His student film Fish of Lake Baikal and his graduation film It Was Showering in Manchester was both awarded and his feature debut My Thoughts Are Silent travelled to festivals over the world. He is now finishing the work with his second feature Luxembourg, Luxembourg, which will be premiering at a big festival, during the autumn. Antonio Lukich plans to work with the script for a new film, with his hometown Uzhgorod in focus.