2014 was a record year for the number of domestic films in film distribution. Of the approximately 300 films released in domestic cinemas throughout the year, 14 were filmed entirely or partially by Ukrainian forces.
The only animation among them – “Babai” by Marina Medved – is now on wide screens.
“The Trumpeter” by Anatoly Mateshko picked up the gradual revival of children’s cinema in our country.
The highest-grossing films were “The Guide” by Oles Sanin and “Viy” by Oleg Stepchenko. The latter was filmed in co-production with Russia, Germany, Great Britain and the Czech Republic.
The most active director of the year was Vladimir Tikhy. In addition to the feature film “Green Jacket,” last year he also released two documentaries in limited release.
I am glad that private producers have become more active, making Ukrainian films not at state expense. During 2014, five films filmed in this way could be seen in cinemas: “Kiev Cake” by Alexey Shaparev, “Synevir” by the Alyoshechkin brothers, “Do you love me?” Yulia Kurbatova, “Single by Contract” by Evgeniy Matvienko and “Maidan” by Sergei Loznitsa.
Also at the box office were “Credence” by Valentin Vasyanovich, “Such Beautiful People” by Dmitry Moiseev, “F 63.9 Disease of Love” by Elena Demyanenko and Dmitry Tomashpolsky, as well as “Tribe” by Miroslav Slaboshpitsky. The latter, by the way, despite the fact that it is not at all designed for a wide audience, collected a very decent box office in Ukraine.
Perhaps after this, cinemas will be more courageous in including our films in their repertoires…