IBF Ukraine Support
Film still: The Days I Would Like to Forget, dir. Alina Gorlova, Maksym Nakonechnyi, Yelizaveta Smith, Simon Mozghovyi
Special Call for Ukrainian Filmmakers
In 2022, in response to the war in Ukraine and with support from the Open Society Foundation, the IDFA Bertha Fund set up a temporary fund for the support of documentary projects by Ukrainian filmmakers. The aim was to offer support to the film community and contribute to the continuity of documentary film production. The war and its devastating consequences have made it increasingly urgent to create a space for Ukrainian filmmakers to be heard. With an emphasis on safeguarding such a space for Ukraine’s filmmakers, the call sought to help capture and preserve their stories, reflections, and observations.
This special call used the same categories, grant amounts, and eligibility criteria as the normal IDFA Bertha Fund Classic funding scheme. Filmmakers could apply for a development grant of €7,500 or for a production & post-production grant of €25,000. In total, nine Ukrainian projects were awarded a total of €168,000. See the selection below.
In addition to financing, the Fund provides tailor-made support in areas such as creative process, strategy and networking, and safety and security—based on the specific needs of each project. To start with, all selected director-producer teams were invited to attend IDFA 2022. The fund covered all travel costs and facilitated participation in one of IDFA's programs, like IDFAcademy or being observer at IDFA Forum.
Selection IBF Classic Ukraine — Development
Dir. Zoia Laktionova Ukraine
Based on diaries and photographs found in the houses destroyed during the Russian war against Ukraine, the film captures the stories of Mariupol including the director’s family. It centers on the value of human life over the nonsensical statements repeated by totalitarian regimes, as witnessed at the Azovstal plant.
Dir. Alina Gorlova, Maksym Nakonechnyi, Yelizaveta Smith, Simon Mozgovyi Ukraine, Austria
How to project your destiny when you’re born without opportunities? Eight teenage girls who lived on the unforgiving streets of Bogota close their eyes and dream up a fictional classmate. Their soulful narrative reveals an amazing perseverance to break the cycle of violence and embrace the future.
Dir. Iryna Tsilyk Ukraine
We are the generation of people with emergency bags on our shoulders. The feeling of insecurity is deeply rooted in Ukrainians, especially women. Ukrainian filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk is sharing her very intimate and female perspective on the question – what does it mean to be a woman in the war times?
Selection IBF Classic Ukraine — Production & Post-production
Dir. Lesia Diak Ukraine
For three years Serhiy fought for his country in the Russian-Ukrainian war which began in 2014 but now he fights for his family.
Dir. Olha Zhurba Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden
Sound-driven, immersive cinema where the body of war-torn Ukraine is the main character.
Dir. Polina Kelm Ukraine, Poland
In the years before the full invasion of Ukraine, a theatre troupe in a mental health institution stage a prophetic play about salvation and liberation.
Dir. Maria Stoianova Ukraine, Estonia
My father, a Soviet ballet dancer on ice, went on tour to the West and filmed during the crucial period of the 80s and 90s. Rediscovering our family archive, I tell the story of Ukrainian society growing up - between the “Western paradise" and the troubles of the USSR.
Dir. Olga Chernykh Ukraine, France
Twice displaced by war, a pathologist and her filmmaker daughter - originally from Donetsk - attempt to find something to hold onto in life in order to cope with the recurring loss caused by death and war.
Dir. Alisa Kovalenko Ukraine, Poland, France
Five bold Ukrainian teenagers are given a chance to discover the taste of freedom, during a therapeutic expedition to the Himalayas, until the war ignites again and jeopardizes their dreams. A teenage odyssey and a tender choral portrait of Donbas’ war kids, on the brink of an apocalypse.
IBF Classic - Ukraine Selection Committee
Audrius Stonys - Filmmaker Yulia Serdyukova - Producer, Yutopia Films; Photographer Anna Gawlita - Producer, Kijora Film Isabel Arrate Fernandez - Deputy Director, IDFA; Executive Director, IDFA Bertha Fund