Synopsis

An Ukrainian town, its glory days long gone. Most inhabitants live off the local mine, where the men work away their days in darkness. They seem unemotional and rigid, just like their surroundings. But when an attractive new teacher arrives, a tremendously dynamic series of events is triggered. A young man falls in love with her, but their happiness is not meant to last, as she is hijacked by the miners. Where emotion stands still, love triggers animalistic aggressions. The hatred, accumulated in years without prospect, explodes in striking pictures. Beauty and culture fall victim to the blind rage of zombie-like men in excesses of violence.

The film will be presented within the frame of SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2 together with the following productions:

The Chicken
GER/CRO 2014 | 15 min.
Language: Bosnian w. Engl. ST
Director: Una Gunjak
For her birthday, six-year-old Selma gets a living chicken from her father, who is currently serving the army. She now tries to save her present from ending up in the cooking pot. A compelling study of a family’s life under the horrors of war.

Albert
POL 2014 | 24 min.
Language: Polish w. Engl. ST
Director: Daniel Wawrzyniak
Albert leads a heteronomous life in an undisclosed factory. An above all visually impressive story of the longing for life in an industrial society, which is dominated by lifelessness.

Ucronia (Ukronija)
SRB 2014 | 29 min.
Language: Serbian w. Engl. ST
Director: Marko Backović
A murder caused by an innocent joke results in a violent frenzy. What if the quarrel never emerged? A black comedy about the possibilities of de-escalation, filled with bizarre caricature gangsters.

Kosherland
GER/LAT 2013 | 16 min.
Language: Russian w. Engl. ST
Director: Pyotr Magnus Nedov
As usual, two criminals collect protection money from a Jewish shop owner, when the situation suddenly deescalates. A superbly cynical reckoning with the sheer ignorance of the authorities; one that is all too accurate in many places of the world.

Invisible Spaces (Ukhilavi sivrtseebi)
GEO/USA 2014 | 10 min
Language: Georgian w. Engl. ST
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
The morning routine of a priest’s wife: breakfast, prayers, taking care of her husband. A silent glimpse on domestic hierarchies in a religious patrimony and the resulting emotional standstill.

Guests

Ruslan Batytskyi

Director Ukrainian Lessons