The film by Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík will benefit from promotional support from Europa Cinemas and better european exhibition
Photophobia by Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film in the Giornate degli Autori.
In receiving the Label, Photophobia will benefit from promotional support from Europa Cinemas and better exhibition thanks to a financial incentive for network cinemas to include it in their programming schedule.
The Jury consisted of: Lukas Berberich (Kino Úsmev, Košice, Slovak Republic), Gerardo de Vivo (Multicinema Modernissimo, Naples, Italy), Priscilla Gessati (L’Entrepôt, Paris, France) and Mira Staleva (Dom na Kinoto-Cinema House, Sofia, Bulgaria)
The jury issued the following statement: “Photophobia is a very original and beautifully observed film set today in an underground Kharkiv metro station in the middle of the war in Ukraine. But this is no miserabilist cliched war story. We see the way human beings – and the children in particular – learn to create a new way of living. There is hope here, and joy in the small things – the occasional luxury of feeling the sun on their faces for example. The film is exceptionally well made, with the cinematography a stand out. As it stands, this film has no international sales company attached. We strongly recommend that companies look at this film very quickly and get to work. As exhibitors we are convinced that this film has a wide audience waiting for it. Our unaninmous choice for the Europa Cinemas Label here in Venice is Photophobia.”
