
Odesa to host premiere of “Pagans” film based on play by deceased Odesaborn playwright Anna Yablonska
The film was made by Czech filmmakers who started working on the movie three months before Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. This was stated by Iva Kubišová, producer, at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Odesa.
“We chose the play Pagans because Anna Yablonska’s legacy will be very interesting for future generations. And unfortunately, the playwright died during a terrorist attack in Moscow, at Domodedovo airport, so russia is also partly to blame for her death,” – the producer noted.
She added that although the film was mostly shot in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Bulgaria. Due to Russia’s full-scale aggression, some scenes were still shot in Anna Yablonska’s native Odesa – at the airport, at Anna Yablonska’s grave, and at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral. Anna Yablonska’s friends also helped with the film.
The film was specially shot in black and white, which added more emotional color to the film and draws parallels with the “gray life” in the USSR, David Čálek, director of photography said.
“I have long been interested in the topic of Orthodoxy and faith in general. Many countries have the same problems with how religion interferes in the lives of ordinary people, harms their lives and destroys families. The play and the movie also talk about how important it is to communicate with your children in their transition age, that they need to be given love, affection, and attention. I think that both the play and the movie managed to show this,” – Olga Dabrowská, the film’s director, said.
The film will premiere on September 23, at 05:30 PM, at the Odesa Film Studio.
Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news