Patricia Lee Smith is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and author whose 1975 debut album Horses elevated her as an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement of the 1970s. Smith has fused rock and poetry in her work. In 1978, her most widely known song, "Because the Night", co-written with Bruce Springsteen, reached 13th on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and fifth on the UK Singles Chart.
Abel Ferrara is an American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones.
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician and former actor who has been serving as the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019.
The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival board: business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian.
Siberia is a 2020 psychological thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it premiered on 24 February 2020.
Irradiated is a 2020 Cambodian documentary film directed by Rithy Panh. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.
Spaceman is a 2024 American science fiction drama film directed by Johan Renck and written by Colby Day. It is based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař. Starring Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini, and Paul Dano. It follows an astronaut sent on a mission to the edge of the solar system who encounters a creature that helps him put his earthly problems back together.
Presidential elections were scheduled to be held in Ukraine on 31 March 2024 according to the constitution, which mandates elections be held on the last Sunday of March of the fifth year of the incumbent president's term of office. However, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, since 24 February 2022 the Ukrainian government has enacted martial law, and Ukrainian law does not allow elections to be held when martial law is in effect.
U-24 is an intergovernmental peacekeeping organization proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed at quickly ending armed conflicts between countries. It was first voiced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech to the U.S. Congress on 16 March 2022.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a number of speeches in multiple formats, including on social media and to foreign legislatures. The speeches have received significant attention, with a number of commentators citing a positive effect on Ukrainian morale and on international support for Ukrainian resistance to the invasion.
Events in the year 2023 in Ukraine.
The 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place from 16 to 26 February 2023. It was the first completely in-person Berlinale since the 70th in 2020. The festival added a new competition section for television series.
Superpower is a 2023 documentary film co-directed by Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman. It premiered at Berlinale on 17 February 2023. The film profiles Volodymyr Zelenskyy's atypical career path through the eyes of Sean Penn as he seeks to understand Ukraine's recent history. Beginning in late 2021, Penn visited Ukraine several times during the film's production. The film is produced by Vice Studios.
The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 15 and 25 February 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was named the Jury President for the main competition. This year’s Berlinale was Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek’s final edition in charge, following their dismissal in 2023. The festival opened with Tim Mielants' Small Things like These.
Treasure is a 2024 tragicomedy film directed by Julia von Heinz. Based on the 1999 novel Too Many Men by Lily Brett, the film starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry is set in 1990. It tells the story of an American journalist Ruth who travels to Poland with her father Edek to visit his childhood places. But Edek, a Holocaust survivor, resists reliving his trauma and sabotages the trip creating unintentionally funny situations.
At Averroès & Rosa Parks is a 2024 documentary film directed by Nicolas Philibert. The film is part of a triptych of feature documentaries devoted to patients and caregivers in Paris’ Central Psychiatric Group.
My Favourite Cake is a 2024 drama film co-written and directed by Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha. The film was among the first six films selected for the first round of the New Dawn scheme after its launch in 2022. The film, starring Lily Farhadpour and Esmail Mehrabi, follows the story of a woman who decides to live out her desires in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted.
Shambhala is a 2024 drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham on screenplay co-written with Abinash Bikram Shah. The film starring Thinley Lhamo and Sonam Topden, depicts life of a newly married and pregnant Pema, living in a Himalayan polyandrous village in Nepal. After disappearance of her first husband she embarks on a journey into the wilderness to find him, evolving into a quest of self-discovery and liberation.
Maydegol is a 2024 documentary film written and directed by Sarvnaz Alambeigi. The work is about an Afghan teenager Maydegol, an immigrant in Iran, who strives to pursue her dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer while battling the social injustice and violence she encounters beyond the ring.
An Odd Turn is a 2024 Argentine drama short film written and directed by Francisco Lezama. Starring Laila Maltz, the film tells the story of a security guard who senses the theft of a work of art.
