Valentyn Vasyanovych (born 21 July 1971)
is a Ukrainian film director. He is best known for his two films on
post-traumatic stress disorder following armed conflict, ''
Atlantis'' (2019), and ''
Reflection'' (2021).
Films
Vasyanovych's first film was a documentary short titled ''Keepsake'', focused on his own family. He created it while
squatting
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
with other artists in
Kyiv in an abandoned building.
His first feature film, ''Business as Usual'' (''Zvychayna sprava''), was released in 2012.
His 2017 film ''
Black Level'' was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
90th Academy Awards,
but it did not make it to the December shortlist. The film tells the story of a wedding photographer who suffers a
midlife crisis after losing his sick father and breaking up with his girlfriend.
His 2019 film ''
Atlantis'' portrayed the trauma of soldiers and civilians in the aftermath of a near-future war between Ukraine and Russia. It won in the
Orizzonti section of the
76th Venice International Film Festival; it was also selected as the Ukrainian entry for the
Best International Feature Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to ...
at the
93rd Academy Awards,
but it did not make it to the December shortlist. The film was a critical success, with an approval rating of 97% on the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes (based on 35 reviews). The film drew a new wave of attention when the
Russo-Ukrainian War sharply escalated shortly after the film's release with the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
In September 2021, his film ''
Reflection'' was shown in the main competition section of the
78th Venice International Film Festival. The film tells the story of a Ukrainian soldier tortured by Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine, who must find a way to readjust to civilian life after his release.
It was picked up for distribution by the Polish distributor
New Europe Film Sales
New Europe Film Sales is a Polish independent film distributor. The company was founded in Warsaw in 2010 by Jan Naszewski of the New Horizons Film Festival
New Horizons Film Festival (previously: Era New Horizons; pl: Nowe Horyzonty) is an int ...
.
''
Variety'' describes Vasyanovych's directorial "trademark" as a "series of static, single-frame shots". By the magazine's count, his film ''Atlantis'' consisted of only 28 static shots, while ''Reflection'' contained 29.
Personal life
As a child, Vasyanovych studied
classical piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
to follow in the footsteps of his father, a composer and conductor. However, he had little interest in the subject and felt more drawn to
photography, another art in which his father tutored him.
In 2007, he graduated from
Poland's Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing.
In March 2022, Vasyanovych called for a cultural boycott of Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasyanovych, Valentyn
Living people
1971 births
Place of birth missing (living people)
Ukrainian film directors
Laureates of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize