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    • NTC Award Ceremony
      New Talent Competition gives young filmmakers from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe the opportunity to present their outstanding debut or second film to the public. Join us on Sunday 1 December at 19h
    • Music at ENFF
      The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival welcomes special musical guests each year to enrich our program. For this 16th edition, we’re thrilled to present two talented young musicians: guitarist Antonio Peršak (CR) and violinist İdil Yunkuş (TR). Together, they will perform a traditional Balkan dance and folk song, highlighting the beauty of this music through the… Read more: Music at ENFF
    • Masterclass with Janez Burger
      This masterclass presents a unique opportunity to explore Burger's distinct storytelling style, genre use, and exploration of contemporary social issues. Join us on Saturday 30 November at 17h - Room 5
    • Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema
      Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema on Friday 29 November at 18h

Opening Film

IVAN’S LAND

dir. ANDRII LYSETSKYI 

DUTCH PREMIERE

Ukraine has many stories, not only about the current war. This one brings a stunning portrait of a Ukrainian folk artist, questioning whether artists need acknowledgement from art critics to be recognized as masters of their craft. The winner of the Grand Jury Award at Pordenone Docs Fest and Docudays UA.

Ivan Prykhodko is one of the last folk artists in Ukraine. He lives in a 100-years old house on the outskirts of Kyiv. He is self-taught, but everything he creates in his village turns into art. His positive attitude in life, his charm and playfulness give a unique spirit to his art as well as to this film that revolves around his work. One day, Ivan is invited to the heart of his country’s capital to exhibit his work at the Mystetskyi Arsenal – Kyiv’s prestigious art exhibition centre. The film follows Ivan as he enters into a new world of art critics, prestigious galleries, and urban chaos.

SHOWTIMES


Wednesday, 22 November – 19:15 hours

Buy Tickets Here!

ZEMLYA IVANA | 2021 | 85 min | Ukraine

PRODUCTIONOlga Beskhmelnitsyna, Gennady Kofman – MaGiKa Film
CINEMATOGRAPHYAndrii Lysetskyi
EDITINGSerhiy Lysenko
SOUNDBoris Peter
MUSICNikita Moiseev
LANGUAGEUkrainian
SUBTITLESEnglish

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Docudays UA, International Documentary Human Rights Film Festival, 2021 – Best Film | Kharkiv MeetDocs Eastern Ukrainian Film Festival, 2021 – Jury Prize | Pordenone Docs Fest, 2022 – Grand Jury Award

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Being truly happy – what does that mean? Affluence? Power? Acknowledgment? Ivan, the protagonist of our documentary, lives at the edge of a small village in a house built over 100 years ago and standing on bare ground covered with straw. Surrounded by nature, his closest friends are his dogs, cats, and goats, but one can’t find a happier man. ​I first met Ivan about two years ago as I heard of him being the last master of the once well-known tradition of Polissya Folk Painting.

DIRECTOR’S BIO 

Born in Kiev in 1982, Andrij Lysetskyi represents the third generation of the most talented DOPs of Ukraine. He graduated from Kiev National Karpenko-Kary University majoring in Cinema and Television, now with his filmography counting over 30 films and numerous awards. Ivan’s Land will be his first work as a director of a documentary.