2013 FILM CALENDAR
Voyage of Time
Directed by Terrence Malick
Since his surprising comeback with the deep and universal Tree of Life two years ago, Terrence Malick has been working on three films simultaneously. One is Voyage of Time, a documentary devoted, much like his previous film, to the birth and death of the Universe. As in The Tree of Life, Brad Pitt is once again involved in the project – this time in the role of narrator. A date for the premiere has not yet been set.
A Field in England
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley’s critically acclaimed black comedy Kill List (2011) has inspired much enthusiasm for his upcoming film under the working title A Field in England. The genre will be close to horror. Set in the 17th century, the film focuses on three deserters who end up at the home of an alchemist and live on mushrooms alone. Will the film become something more than Jan Kounen’s psychedelic Western Blueberry? The production is in its final stages, and a premiere date has not been announced.
Maksym the Wasp
Directed by Oleksiy Mamedov
Based on the comics of Ihor Baranko, Maksym the Wasp is one of the most anticipated Ukrainian films in the adventure, detective and thriller genres. The screenwriting team that includes well-known contemporary Ukrainian writer Iren Rozdobudko changed the original text significantly, but it still feels exciting and new, portraying Cossacks as master swordsmen, brilliant detectives and James Bond-style heroes – all in one. The story also includes witches, beautiful women and Ottoman Turks. The filmmakers would like to see French actor Vincent Pérez in the lead role. A date for the premiere has not been set.
Nymphomaniac
Directed by Lars von Trier
Ten years ago, Trier said that he wanted to shoot a big and artistically valuable erotic film. Finally, he has. Nymphomaniac is the confession of a woman who diagnosed herself with nymphomania. The cast includes Hollywood celebrities Willem Dafoe, Uma Thurman, Christian Slater, and Transformers star Shia LaBeouf – whose contracts entail real sex scenes. The premiere is set for May 30 in Denmark.
Wałęsa
Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Sure to become a modern classic of Polish cinema, this dream project profiles Solidarity movement founder, first President of post-Socialist Poland, and Nobel Prize winner Lech Wałęsa. According to director Andrzej Wajda, it may be the third film of a trilogy, the first two being Man of Marble and Man of Iron. Man of Hope could be the subtitle for Wałęsa’s biopic. The premiere is expected to take place in Poland this spring.
The Grandmasters
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai, the man behind the intoxicating Mood for Love, returns to defend his reputation after the failed My Blueberry Nights released in 2007. He chose a promising story: the life of Chinese martial artist Yip Man, and invited the biggest Hong Kong and Chinese celebrities, including Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen. And he will head the Berlinale jury, his film opening the festival as a world premiere.
Froth on the Daydream/ L'Écume des jours
Directed by Michel Gondry
The grand novel by Boris Vian has been adapted into film twice: by Charles Belmont in 1968 and Go Riju in 2001. Critics panned both interpretations. This third version comes from the crazy dreamer and visual acrobat Gondry, who aims to offer the best adaptation of this painful and tragic love story whose heroine dies when water lilies begin to grow in her lungs. The film features Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris in the lead roles. The premiere will take place on April 10.
The Green Shirt
Directed by Volodymyr Tykhyi
Although Volodymyr Tykhyi shot his last feature film a long time ago and has been doing short films lately, including Mudaky. Arabesky (“Morons. Arabesques”) and Ukraine, Goodbye!, The Green Shirt has a good chance of connecting with audiences thanks to its acute social theme of kidnapping and the total indifference of the government and people to it. Moreover, the film combines a variety of innovative camera techniques and includes Yuriy Odynokyi in a leading role. The film is expected to fill the void of socially critical Ukrainian films when it is released in November.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Thousand-year-old vampires named Adam and Eve, a ban on killing, and love– all components of an unusual new work by Jarmusch, whose talent for surprising audiences with unbelievable unions of human souls, emotions and dialogues produced cult classics such as Dead Man and Broken Flowers. To add some mysticism to the scene, he has involved Tilda Swinton and Mia Wasikowska. Ever since he made Broken Flowers, Jarmusch has not been a welcome guest at festivals. Only Lovers Left Alive, slated for premiere in December, will give him another change.
The Brothers
Directed by Viktoria Trofymenko
One of the few Ukrainian films with good festival prospects, Trofymenko’s debut feature film is based on a solid foundation: the characters from Swedish writer Torgny Lindgren’s novel have been transformed from Swedes into Hutsuls, and Sweden into the Ukrainian Carpathians. The film also features a unique local Hutsul dialect and professional camerawork by Yaroslav Pilinsky, and is expected to be beautiful and dramatically powerful. The film is scheduled to premiere at Kyiv’s “Molodist” film festival in October.
2013 MUSIC CALENDAR
May 30, 7 p.m.*
Joe Cocker
Three years after his last visit to Ukraine, Joe Cocker will once again please local audiences with a new show based on his latest album Fire It Up, the 22nd record in his career. Of course, old hits will comprise part of the program as well. Forty years ago, a young man with no education from provincial Sheffield did not dare dream of world fame. However, he soon fired up Woodstock in 1969 after a brief stint singing in pubs. Today, Cocker is an honoured musical patriarch, the winner of multiple music awards. But he says that he still feels full of energy despite his age.
June 10, 7 p.m.*
Lana Del Rey
Unlike many of her colleagues, the American singer will play a gig in Ukraine at the peak of her fame. Her record Born to Die landed first in the British and German Billboard Top 200 and second in the US, with music critics calling her the most promising performer of 2012. Elizabeth Grant took on the aristocratic stage name – a hybrid of Lana Terner and Ford Del Rey – and began to conquer the world only six months ago. Lana’s image is a collage of 1940s Hollywood glamour, idiosyncratic characters from classic horror movies and the hipster trends of today. The cocktail of her musical influences includes Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley, David Bowie and Eminem.
June 15, 7 p.m.*
Blackmore’s Night
Richie Blackmore the founder of this folk rock band is a perfect example of how characters change with age. Blackmore is a living legend of hard rock, listed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 guitarists in the world. A former member of Deep Purple and Rainbow, hooligan and brawler, and a fan of dark jokes, Richie began to play Renaissance music when he created the Blackmore’s Night duo 15 years ago. His girlfriend, performer and co-writer of most of the band’s material, Candice Night, helped him quit his hard rock career. Inseparable today, the couple tours European castles and fairs with a band of musicians playing gigs for sentimental fans of historical reconstructions.
June 29**
Depeche Mode
The legend of electronic rock returns to Kyiv as part of their three-month tour promoting their 13th record whose title and release date are still under wraps. The band insists that they consider several new songs on the album to be the best creations of their entire musical career. The story of the Depeche Mode we know today began in 1980 when Dave Gahan, then studying design at university, joined the synth-pop band with naïve ambitions. Since then, the band has sold over 100 million records worldwide, standing out as leaders of the British New Wave and influencing the global alternative music scene. In addition to risky musical experiments and Gahan’s sentimental vocals, the band is known for its captivating shows.
*Ukrayina Palace, 103, vul. Velyka Vasylkivska, Kyiv
**Olympic Stadium, 55, vul. Velyka Vasylkivska, Kyiv
