News The lost world in an Ukrainian ballad competing in the Official Selection
Published: July 05, 2015| 04:00 PM
The Ukrainian film Song of Songs has its world premiere on Sunday in Karlovy Vary. The story of a young man from a Jewish shtetl at the beginning of the 20th century—inspired by a story of Sholem Aleichem, one of the classic authors of Yiddish literature—is competing for the Crystal Globe.
Its director, Eva Neymann, is already familiar at the KVIFF: three years ago, she found success with her previous film, House with a Turret, which competed in the East of the West section. “I know that directors have to play the festival game and wish for awards. Nobody knows when money will come in. The fact that I won last time helped me get funding for my new film. It helped convince producers that this one could also be good,” the director reflected at a press conference.
Neymann has been a big fan of Aleichem since childhood. “I’ve just now memorialized his work, so I know a lot of it by heart.” The lost world of the Jewish community she created in her sad romance is of course fictional. “I don’t know how authentic it is, because I’m not familiar with it. I didn’t set out to reconstruct it. It’s just my vision,” explained the director.
Screenings of Song of Songs: 5.7.
17:00 Grand Hall 6.7.
13:00 Pupp
8.7. 9:00 Drahomíra Cinema