Ukrainian opinion leaders at the opening ceremony of the 12th film festival.
The 12th Austrian Film Week festival was held at Zhovten Cinema in Kyiv provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Austria and a general partner, the Austrian gas station chain AMIC ENERGY. The film festival began with a screening of a drama A Whole Life by Hans Steinbichler, based on the bestselling novel by Robert Seethaler. The cinema hall was decorated as the entrance to the Belvedere Palace in Vienna.
Among the attendees were actresses Rimma Zyubina and Natalia Babenko, singer Anna Zavalska, Deputy Minister of Culture Taras Shevchenko, blogger Maryna Teplova, bloggers Stepan Yeranosyan and Maksym Kireev, co-founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week Iryna Danylevska, producer Olekso Gladushevsky, curator Katya Taylor, social activist Yana Altukhova, Kyiv TV channel host Olesya Turchyn, celebrity makeup artist Ksenia Vovk, co-founder of 13 friends event company Anna Malinovska, designer and stylist Angela Chygryn, Elle editor-in-chief Sonya Zabuga, Marie Claire editor-in-chief Iryna Tatarenko, film critic Inna Gordeeva, film critics Kirill Pischikov, Igor Kromf, Dmitry Sidorenko and others.
Diplomats from European countries also attended the event including Antal Heizer, Ambassador of Hungary to Ukraine, Valeriu Chiveri, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Ukraine, Elena Leticia Mikusinski, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine Radek Pech, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine.
At the opening ceremony of the film festival the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine addressed a solemn speech.
"The Austrian Film Week is not just a tradition. It is also a way of paying tribute to the resilience of Ukrainians," said Dr. Arad Benkö, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine, "The war has a strong impact on Ukrainian society. But it also has a strong impact on the culture and identity of the nation, making them only stronger."
The Austrian Film Week would take place at Zhovten Cinema in Kyiv until April 15. The screening program includes 4 films of different genres: from sports drama to mystical horror.
The Austrian Film Week is an annual event that has been held for over 11 years by now. The only exception was 2022 due to the full-scale invasion of russia.
The film festival has a charitable purpose, as the event is aimed at raising funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Our company, as the General Partner of the film festival, will donate an amount of money equivalent to the festival's box office to support Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor country.
"It is a great honor to celebrate the power of cinema and culture once again. In these challenging times, our presence here is a testament to the resilience and strength of Ukraine in its struggle for independence," said Andreas Sernetz, shareholder of AMIC ENERGY.
"As an Austrian company, we deeply appreciate the enormous efforts and sacrifices that Ukraine has made. But the importance of art in shaping the future of a nation cannot be overestimated. That is why the Austrian Film Week should be a powerful reminder of this truth," added Günter Maier, shareholder of AMIC ENERGY.
After the festival in Kyiv, the Austrian Film Week will be held in other Ukrainian cities: April 22-24 in Dnipro,
May 9-12 in Chernivtsi,
May 16-19 in Lviv.
After the festival, activists and leaders of film clubs will be able to organize screenings of a selection of Austrian films in their cities as part of the project “Film Club. All-Ukrainian Network" project. To do this, you need to apply on the website.
