Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival

The appearance of the Molodist film festival was planned to happen in1962, when the Kyiv Institute of Theatrical Arts in the name of Karpenko-Kariy first introduced the department of Cinema Art. The natural attraction of young masters to the audience, the necessity for emotional impulse from the audience, and the necessity in conversation through the screen – all that made this great beginning successful and eternal.

The first Republican Festival of Student Film “Molodist” took place in Kyiv on October 31, 1970. 33 films were shown. The Jury with Mykola Maschenko as the Head determined the best student films, presented diplomas and prizes.”

Molodist was founded in1970 and organized only because of the energetic nature of the director Mykola Maschenko and with the help of the initiative group from the Cinematographers Union of Ukraine.

The first Grand Prix of the festival was given to the director V.Granin for the documentary “Big Trampline”.

In 1974 Russian films participated in the festival for the first time. In 1977 films from the Georgian Institute of Theatrical Art were presented at the festival.

Kyiv saw the debuts of many directors from outside of Ukraine, who took their prizes abroad such as Konstantin Lopushansky – 1980 “Solo”, Serhiy Snezhkin in 1985 with “Hey, On Lincoln”, Alexander Rogozhkin, 1985 “In Honor of a Few Lines”, Yuri Mamim, 1986 “Neptune’s Celebration”, Yevgeniy Tsymbal, 1988 “Sedov the Guard”.

One of the most talented master of Ukrainian cinematography, actor Ivan Mykolaychuk was given the Grand Prix for his directors debut with “Babylon XX”, 1979.

In 1987 Molodist gave birth to the one, who later was called “the new wave” of Kazakh cinema: Grand Prix – Serik Aprymov with “Two on a Bicycle”. For Nadia Evtushenko, 1985 “Gayduk”, from Moldova, and for Alexei Haritidi, 1994 – “Gagarin“ forum in Kyiv became a first step on a ladder to Cannes “Palme d’or” for the best animated film.

At the end of the 80’s the festival was continuously changing into the international: all the best student films and debuts shown in USSR at that time were coming to Kyiv. This period until Ukraine became an independent state in 1991, was characterized as a period when festival’s ideology was formed.

After the break in 1992, caused by the difficulties in financing the festival, it was opened the next year as a specialized “Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival” of student and debut films. The four categories in competition are still the same: debut student film, debut full-length feature film, debut short fiction film, debut animation film or documentary.

E. In small groups, brainstorm possible newspapers headlines about the film festival (based on the text)

F. Study the table below. Answer the following questions.

1. Since when have the Soviet films started winning international recognition?

2. Which of the films was the first prize winner?

3. What awards and at what film festivals went to the Russian films?

4. What actors and actresses were starring in them?

	Director	Film	Award	Notes
1	Grigori Chukhrai, director	Sorok perviy / The Forty-First	A Special Prize in Cannes in 1957	His films reflect a concern for individuals caught up in the tide of historical events.
		Ballada o soldate / Ballad of a Soldier	Prizes in Cannes and Venice in 1960
2	Sergei Bondarchuk, director and actor	A four-part screen version of Tolstoy’s War and Peace	Won an Oscar (1968)	“War and Peace” is notable for its large-scale battle scenes and the quality of acting.
3	Georgi Danelia, director and scriptwriter	Ossenni marafon / Autumn Marathon (1979)	Won the main prize at the 1979 San Sebastian Film Festival	A sad comedy in which the hero can never catch up with his obligations.
4	Mikhail Kalatozov, director	Letyat zhuravli/ The Cranes are Flying (1958)	Won the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1958	A romance set against the outbreak of World War II.
5	Josef Kheifits, director	Dama s sobachkoi / The Lady with a Dog	Won a prize in Cannes in 1960	In Yalta at the term of the century, an unhappily married woman and a married man start an affair that lasts secretly.
6	Nikita Mikhalkov, actor and director	Urga: Territory of Love (1991)	Won the Golden Lion in Venice in 1991	Mikhalkov provides a most engaging view into the life of a nomadic Mongolian family.
		Utomlyonnye solntsem / Burnt by the Sun	Won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film in 1995	A tragic drama about the last happy summer in the life of a Bolshevik hero’s family.
7	Gleb Panfilov, Director	Tema / The Theme	Won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1987	A successful Soviet playwright undergoes a mid-life crisis and must reevaluate the meaning of his work that has been dictated (and lavishly praised) by the government
8	Larissa Shepitko, director	Voskhozhdenie/ The Ascent, based on Vassil Bykov’s story “Sotnikov”	Won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1977	The story of the tragic fate of a group of partisans is filled with spiritual strength and religious symbolism.
9	Andrei Tarkovsky, director and theorist	Ivanovo detstvo / Ivan’s Childhood	Won the Grand Prix in the Venice Film Festival in 1962	He believed that cinema presented what he called the Sculptured Time.
		Andrei Rublyov	Won the FIPRESSI Prize in Cannes in 1971	The film confronted the issue of artistic freedom
		Nostalgia	Won the Special Jury Prize in Cannes in 1983
10	Andrey Zvyagintsev, director	Vozvrashcheniye / The Return	Won the Golden Lion in Venice 2003	In the remote Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father – a man they only know through a single photograph – resurfaces.

F. Write an article to a newspaper about the Ukrainian (or Russian) film festival.

Part VII. Consolidation

A. Fill the gaps with suitable words. The first two are done as examples.

1. The most popular programs on TV tend to be game shows, soap operas and crime ..............

2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first ............. –length ................. film: it was ..................... by Walt Disney.

3. Horror films like A Nightmare on Elm Street depend on spectacular .................. effects rather than a subtle............................

4. Superman 2, ..................................... by Richard Lester, was the ........................to Superman. The .......................was co-written by Mario Puzo, who wrote “The Godfather”.

5. A really exciting movie depends on good .................... (photography), good .................. (the way the film is cut with perfect timing so that each ....................... surprises you), and exciting ........................... (car chases, fights and falls).

6. Modern films have a Dolby stereo ........................ but not all cinemas have the ......................... to take advantage of this.

7. Foreign-language films can be shown with sub-....................... or may be .................................

8. Michael Keaton played the ................... of Batman in the movie but his ......................-star, Jack Nicholson, ......................... every scene he appeared in.

9. The Last Emperor was an Italian-American ...................., shot on ............................ in China. It received a lot of ............................, but I thought it was highly .............................

10. It was hard to follow the ................... because there were so many ....................... to scenes that had happened earlier.

11. The names of the stars and the ..................................... are given in the opening ......................., but you have to wait till the end to see the complete ............................of characters and the actors who ............................. them – and the name of every individual member of the film ......................... . The people who aren’t mentioned are all the ..........................who appear in the crowd scenes.

12. I never go to see ..........................films – my favourites are..................

13. In the new ......................of The Tempest by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the .......................... were designed by David Hockney.

B. Work in groups. Find out from your partners about their tastes in the cinema. Ask them to explain why they enjoy them.

C. What type of films are these?

1. Some cowboys rob a train.

2. A flying saucer lands from Mars.

3. A dead person comes back to life.

4. James Bond saves the world.

5. Mickey Mouse goes on a picnic.

6. A man falls in love with his teacher.

7. A dead body is found in the river.

8. There are lots of songs and dancing.

D. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.