About us
ONE OF THE BIGGEST AUDIENCE FILM FESTIVALS IN EASTERN EUROPE!
Odesa International Film Festival is the festival which has one of the largest audiences in Eastern Europe. It is an annual film festival held in cinema capital of Ukraine – Odesa. Founded in 2010 for the popularization of high-level intellectual films among Ukrainian viewers and also for support, development of cinema inside the country and on the international stage. Festival became the brightest summer film event and took its place on the world film map. Exclusive film premieres, workshops of leading world filmmakers and unique festive atmosphere – all of this bring together 9 days of Odesa International Film Festival!
CONCEPT
The film selection is focused on so-called art mainstream, which includes the films possessing a refined artistic quality, yet accessible to the broadest audience possible. Odesa International Film Festival includes 3 competition programs: International, National and European Documentary Competition.
COMPETITION PROGRAMS
The international competition includes films from all over the world, mostly international or national premieres, for the most demanding and passionate viewers. For Odessa International Film Festival viewers are the main focus and the audience awards the Grand-Prix – Golden Duke. International Jury awards winners in the Best Film, Best Director and Best Acting categories. Since 2016 OIFF has new competition program – European Documentary Competition. European Documentary Films Jury awards premiers of European documentaries.
National competition program includes latest films from Ukraine or made in a co-production with Ukraine. Short films and full-length movies of Ukrainian filmmakers also take part in the competition. These works will be evaluated by the Jury of the National Competition Program. As a part of National Competition jury awards winner in the Best Acting category and Best Directing category.
POTEMKIN STAIRS, OPEN AIR
A place which belongs to the world film history, once glorified in Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, now becomes a great open-air sea-view screening space with the capacity to seat 15 thousand viewers. As one of the best Odesa International Film Festival locations, it featured the shows of City Lights (Charlie Chaplin), Metropolis (Fritz Lang), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau), Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock), The Man with the Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov) and musical illustration by Michael Nyman, Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Berthelet), The Ladies Paradise (Julien Duvivier) and, of course, Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein). Saturday screenings on the Potemkin Stairs accompanied by a symphonic orchestra, in front of swarming audiences are one of the main OIFF highlights.
PROFESSIONAL EVENTS
One of the main missions of Odesa International Film Festival is a development of Ukrainian professional film industry. Professional section Film Industry Office includes Pitching (feature-length films competition for films made in Ukraine or in co-production with Ukraine for showing in cinemas), Work in progress film presentations, panel discussion and round tables dedicated to the film industry development). Film Market is the only Ukrainian professional platform for communication between representatives of distribution companies and cinemas operating on the territory of Ukraine, as well as film studios and other companies providing services to the film industry. Annually during OIFF are held educational programs for screenwriters, directors and producers.
EDUCATIONAL SECTION
One of the biggest OIFF projects, Summer Film School, is open during 9 festival days. Summer Film School includes workshops and meetings with the leading world and Ukrainian producers, scriptwriters, actors and directors, prize holders of different awards, filmmakers whose works became acknowledged masterpieces!
Christopher Hampton, Christian Petzold, Peter Greenaway, Krzysztof Zanussi, John Malkovich, Roger Corman, Claudia Cardinale, Daryl Hannah, Marco Mueller, Darren Aronofsky, Emir Kusturica, Peter Webber, Jos Stelling, Jim Sheridan, Michael Winterbottom, Jiři Menzel, Sergei Loznitsa, Kira Muratova, Todd Solondz, Stephen Frears, Geraldine Chaplin, Aidan Turner, Timur Bekmambetov, Oleksandr Rodniansky, Andrey Plakhov, Naum Kleiman and others were speakers and guests of Summer Film School.
NON-COMPETITION PROGRAMS
Odessa International Film Festival non-competition programs include themed and personal retrospectives, premiers, works awarded by the most prestigious film festivals, animated and feature movies for kids, premiers of the most anticipated series, special screenings and film performances!
SOCIAL LIFE
The opening and the closing ceremonies of Odesa International Film Festival are traditionally held at the Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. The best world and Ukrainian directors, producers, actors, scriptwriters, celebrities, film experts, and filmmakers walk the longest red carpet in Ukraine. Festival club opens its door for movies stars, celebrities, film fans and moviegoers during 9 days of the OIFF.
FACTS AND FIGURES
2017
Dates: 14-22 July, 2017
Grand Prix Golden Duke, awarded by audience
Prizes for the Best Film, Best Acting and Best Director, awarded by International Jury
Golden Duke for the Best Ukrainian Film, awarded by International Jury of the National Competition
Golden Duke for the Best European Documentary, awarded by International Jury of the European Documentary Competition
Golden Duke for Lifetime Achievement
Special prizes, awarded by FIPRESCI jury
Deadline for film submissions: 10 April 2017
Deadline for press and guest accreditation: 30 June 2017