The Very Best in Ukrainian Film

The top films in Ukrainian cinema were honoured last month at Ukraine’s own version of the Academy Awards (Golden Dzygas). Cyborgs, the $2 million USD film recounting the heroic defence of the Donetsk International Airport, was the big winner of the night, winning Best Picture, Best Actor (Vyacheslav Dovzhenko), Best Supporting Actor (Victor Zhdanov), Best Screenwriter (Natalia Vorozhbit), and two other awards. Falling, Ukraine’s entry for Best Foreign Film at the US Academy Awards, was also recognised, winning Best Actress (Dasha Plakhtiy), Best Composer (Nikita Moiseev), and Best Sound Engineering (Sergey Stepansky). Other notable winners were the 1920s Kharkiv-set House of Word for Best Documentary, Prychynna: The Story of Love for Best Animated Film, and Sergei Loznitsa as Best Director for A Gentle Creature. The red carpet ceremony was held at Kyiv’s Parkovy Exhibition Centre on 20 April.