When the Trees Fall

Last updated
When the Trees Fall
Directed by Marysia Nikitiuk
Written byMarysia Nikitiuk
Country Ukraine
Language Ukrainian

When the Trees Fall is a 2018 Ukrainian film written and directed by Marysia Nikitiuk. It has been listed as among the best modern Ukrainian films.

Contents

Plot

Set in the small Ukrainian city of Lozova, the film centers on a five-year-old girl, Vitka, and her older cousin, Larysa, who is in love with a criminal. [1] The story of a five-year-old little rebellious girl Vitka with her teenage cousin Larysa and her boyfriend, the young criminal Scar unfolds in a Ukrainian provincial setting. Larysa finds herself at a crossroads after the death of her father. Yearning to be self-made, the village community ostracizes her for loving Scar. Larysa discovers her grandmother once sacrificed her love for a young gypsy abandoning him for traditional values and other people's opinions. Larysa's mother is too psychologically weak to support her daughter. Larysa and Scar plan to escape from a life of crime, misery and their relatives. But are they ready to pay the full price for freedom?

Cast

Production

The film was made after Nikitiuk won the Krzysztof Kieslowski Script Award for Best Film Script from Central and Eastern Europe at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016. The prize was accompanied with a €10,000 production grant. [2] Her winning script would become When the Trees Fall. [2] [3]

When the Trees Fall was filmed in Ukraine and Poland. [4]

Release

The premiere of When the Trees Fall was at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in 2018. [5]

Reception

When the Trees Fall won seven awards at the Berlin film festival, including best debut which came with 50,000€; the Panorama audience award; the "World of Cinema" award (4,000€); the Gainer Karov award (5,000€); and three awards from film critic associations. [5] The film was praised in The Hollywood Reporter as "bursting with audacity, flair and energetic promise." [6] [7] [8] The San Francisco Chronicle called it a "deliriously lyrical, sexy fable" and said "the final frames are breathtaking." [9] Polish film journal Kino praised Nikitiuk's "sensitivity, courage and fantasy." [10]

When the Trees Fall is frequently named as one of the best modern Ukrainian films. [11] It was listed as the fourth-best Ukrainian film of the 2010s by MovieWeb. [12] [7] Vogue Ukraine listed it among "seven films to make you fall in love with modern Ukrainian cinema". [13] Viktoria Tihipko, president of the Odesa International Film Festival and the head of the board at the Ukrainian Film Academy, named it as one of the 30 "most iconic" films since Ukraine's independence. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ani Lorak</span> Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actress (born 1978)

Karolina Myroslavivna Kuiek, popularly known as Ani Lorak, is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and former UN Goodwill Ambassador. Having received Ukraine's most prestigious and honorary title, the People's Artist of Ukraine, Lorak has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential women in her country, as well as ranked one of the most beautiful women from Eastern Europe. Ani Lorak reported the highest income of all singers in Ukraine in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Karol</span> Ukrainian singer, actress & television presenter (born 1985)

Tina Karol is a Ukrainian singer, actress, TV presenter, public figure, philanthropist, and founder of “The Tina Karol charitable foundation”. In 2006, she was chosen to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest, with the entry "Show Me Your Love, which finished in seventh place in the final. In 2017, Karol was given the honor of "People's Artist of Ukraine".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marysia Kay</span>

Marysia Kay is a retired Scottish actress, singer, and fight performer. She is best known for her role in Forest of the Damned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamala</span> Ukrainian singer (born 1983)

Susana Alimivna Jamaladinova, known professionally as Jamala, is a Ukrainian singer. She represented Ukraine and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with her song "1944". In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 she served as a judge at Vidbir, the Ukrainian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. In November 2023, Russia added Jamala to its wanted list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larysa Khorolets</span> Ukrainian actress and politician (1948–2022)

Larysa Ivanivna Khorolets was a Ukrainian actress, playwright, cultural manager, politician, and academic teacher. She played at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater from 1973 to 1990. She served as the Minister of Culture of Ukraine in the Ukrainian SSR from August 1991, and upon Ukraine's independence later that year, serving until 1992. Afterward, she held positions in cultural management, diplomatic service, and academic teaching.

<i>Homeward</i> (film) 2019 film

Homeward is a 2019 Ukrainian drama film directed by Nariman Aliev. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Tetyana Robertivna Muinyo, better known as Tanu Muino is a Ukrainian music video director, designer, stylist, photographer and film director. Known for her work on music videos by popular artists: Harry Styles' "As It Was", Monatik, Time and Glass, NK, IOWA, Cardi B's "Up", and Normani's "Wild Side".

<i>Volcano</i> (2018 film) 2018 Ukrainian drama film

Volcano is a 2018 Ukrainian-German-Monaco drama film, and the feature directorial debut of Roman Bondarchuk. Through the character Lukas, an interpreter who is stranded in the region he was to help monitor for a security organization, the film examines the lives of people on the southern Ukrainian steppe who live in anarchic freedom, seemingly forgotten by the outside world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherkasy (film)</span>

Cherkasy, also known as U311 Cherkasy, is a Ukrainian feature film directed by Tymur Yashchenko about the defense of the eponymous naval Natya-class minesweeper, blocked by Russian troops in Donuzlav Bay, Crimea during the 2014 capture of Southern Naval Base. The film was created with the support of the State Cinema of Ukraine.

Hutsulka Ksenya is a 2019 Ukrainian musical film directed by Olena Demyanenko, based on the operetta of the same name by Yaroslav Barnych.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Lukich</span> Ukrainian film director

Antonio Lukić, known professionally as Antonio Lukich, is a Ukrainian filmmaker who was born in Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Throughout his career, Antonio has achieved much success, gaining awards at an international and nationally recognised level. One such award is the Merited Artist of Ukraine awarded to him in March, 2021. This state honorary decoration is awarded to those who make significant contributions and achieve notable success in film and art for the country of Ukraine.

Reflection is a Ukrainian drama film directed by Valentyn Vasyanovych. Its world premiere took place on 6 September 2021 at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Golden Lion. It was scheduled to have a wide theatrical release in Ukraine in 2022.

<i>Stop-Zemlia</i> 2021 Ukrainian film Stop-Zemlia directed by Kateryna Gornostai

Stop-Zemlia(Ukrainian: Стоп-Земля) is a 2021 Ukrainian romance, coming-of-age and drama film directed and written by Ukrainian director Kateryna Gornostai, and starring Maria Fedorchenko, Arsenii Markov, Yana Isaienko and Oleksandr Ivanov. The feature film portrays a teenage coming of age story. All the depicted events are fiction, but creative team attempted to portray them as improvisations. The characters had a set of activities when the script was written, but they gained traits once the actors were found. The film was first released on May 3, 2021 in Berlin International Film Festival, and received the Crystal Bear for the Best Film in the Generation 14plus competition. The film received positive reviews from critics. Later the film appeared at the 12th Odesa International Film Festival (OIFF) on August 19, 2021, where the film received the main award of the festival - the Grand Prix. Kateryna Gornostai also became the winner of Duke in the nomination Best Full-Length Film. On March 9, 2022, the film was awarded the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alina Gorlova</span> Ukrainian filmmaker

Alina Eduardivna Gorlova is a Ukrainian filmmaker, director, and screenwriter, specialising in documentaries. She was inducted into the Ukrainian Film Academy in 2017 and was named as an Honored Artist of Ukraine in 2021.

Ptakh_Jung is a Ukrainian multi-genre instrumental duo formed by composer, keyboardist, and electronic music producer Anton Dehtiarov and composer and experimental guitarist Volodymyr Babushkin. The group combines contemporary classical music with electronic, post-rock, ambient, and elements of grunge and noise.

Julia Sinkevych is a Ukrainian film producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marysia Nikitiuk</span> Ukrainian film director and screenwriter (born 1986)

Marysia Nikitiuk is a Ukrainian film director, screenwriter and fiction writer. She wrote and directed When the Trees Fall (2018) and co-wrote Homeward (2019), both of which have drawn recognition as among the best Ukrainian films. Nikitiuk also directed Lucky Girl (2021) and published a collection of short fiction, The Abyss (2016), which won the Oles Ulianenko International Literary Prize.

Mother of Apostles is a Ukrainian war drama directed by Zaza Buadze.

Squat32 is a Ukrainian film from 2019, a youth romantic drama directed by Sasha Lidagovsky. The theatrical premiere of the film took place on April 11, 2019, in Ukraine and around the world.

"Our Kitties" or "Lethal Kittens", working titles "Bunker" and "Kitten with Burning Eyes", is a co-produced Ukrainian comedy film directed by Volodymyr Tyhyi about the adventures of Ukrainian army soldiers during the Russian-Ukrainian war in Eastern Ukraine in 2014.

References

  1. ↑ Abenia, Enrique (10 December 2021). "ArteKino 2021: La sorprendente personalidad de Marysia Nikitiuk en la ucraniana 'When the Trees Fall'". Cinemanía (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 Antonenko, Alisa (19 May 2016). "Marysia Nikitiuk received a French award". The Day. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  3. ↑ "Marysia Nikitiuk: Today's Character is a Bad Man with a Kind Heart and an Incredible Sense of Guilt". Ukrayinska Pravda. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  4. ↑ ""Її протест - реакція людини, яка не хоче померти в цьому болоті" - кінокритик про фільм "Коли падають дерева"". Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian). 2018-02-26. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  5. 1 2 "На Берлінале показали фільм української режисерки". Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian). 2018-02-21. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  6. ↑ Young, Neil (27 February 2018). "'When the Trees Fall' ('Koly padayut dereva'): Film Review | Berlin 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  7. 1 2 Hrytsai, Yana (20 May 2022). "The Best Ukrainian Movies of the 2010s, Ranked". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Lang, Jamie; Hopewell, John (18 May 2018). "Marysia Nikitiuk, Igor Savychenko Talk 'When the Trees Fall'". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  9. ↑ Lewis, David (13 September 2018). "Hidden gems of the Mill Valley Film Festival". Datebook | San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  10. ↑ Sajewicz, Anna. "TAM, GDZIE NAS NIE MA." Kino 53, no. 618 (12, 2018): 57-59.
  11. ↑ "10 найкращих нових стрічок вітчизняного кінематографа". Unian. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  12. ↑ Rosser, Michael (19 August 2022). "Sarajevo's CineLink reveals 2022 industry winners". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "7 фільмів, щоб закохатися в сучасне українське кіно". Vogue UA. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "30 знакових фільмів незалежної України: вибір Вікторії Тігіпко". Vogue UA. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.