Ukrainian film “Stepne” wins “Best Director” award at prestigious Swiss film festival

Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Vroda won the "Best Director" award after presenting her movie at the 76th International Locarno Film Festival.

The movie was presented at the prestigious festival as a product of German-Ukrainian filmmakers, known as a full-length feature debut.

The festival's hosts called the movie "a cinematic masterpiece that leaves an indelible imprint in the psyche," a tape "with deep meaning, despite the minimalist plot."

Ukraine's Film Agency shared the awarding details, saying that Vroda shouted the slogan "Glory to Ukraine" from the stage, to which the Romanian director Radu Jude, another winner of the festival, responded, "Glory to the Heroes."

The director also honored the memory of Ukrainian filmmakers who fought on the battlefield, and her team members killed in action during Russia's full-scale war.

The movie plot is spinning around the story of a man who returns home from a megapolis to take care of his sick mother. Before she passes away, the woman tells her son about the "treasure" that she hid in the barn.

In the movie's takeaways, the festival's press service says that the story takes place in Ukrainian winter landscapes and unravels the background of social exclusion in post-Soviet society.

The Locarno International Film Festival has been held annually since 1946. It is one of the oldest film celebrations, along with Venice and Cannes festivals.

The participants fight for the Golden Leopard, the main prize for the best movie.

In 2022, the Ukrainian-made film "How Is Katya?" won two awards at the Locarno Festival. The film received a special Ciné+ jury prize, while the lead actress Anastasia Karpenko was recognized as the best role.

Maryna Vroda is known for being the second Ukrainian filmmaker to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2011, the festival's jury recognized her short film "Cross," made in collaboration with the French film company Les 3 Lignes.

Despite the war and forcibly fleeing artists from the country, the Ukrainian film industry continues to show new products.

After its success at the Las Vegas Horror Film Festival (USA) and the Pan-European Science Fiction Convention Eurocon 2023, and its successful release on NETFLIX and Megogo streaming services, the Cossack adventure thriller "Maxym Osa: The Gold of the Doghead" is back on world's cinemas at the request of viewers.