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Valentyn Vasyanovych

Valentyn Vasyanovych
Shevchenko National Prize laureate[1]
Валентин Васянович
Valentyn Vasyanovych in 2019
Born (1971-07-21) 21 July 1971 (age 54)
Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Alma materKyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television
OccupationFilm director

Valentyn Mykolayovych Vasyanovych (Ukrainian: Валентин Миколайович Васянович; born 21 July 1971)[2] 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).

Career

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Vasyanovych's first film was a documentary short titled Keepsake, focused on his own family. He created it while squatting with other artists in Kyiv in an abandoned building.[3] His first feature film, Business as Usual (Zvychayna sprava), was released in 2012.[2][4]

His 2017 film Black Level was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards,[5] 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.[5]

His 2019 film Atlantis portrayed the trauma of soldiers and civilians in the aftermath of a near-future war between Ukraine and Russia.[6] 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 at the 93rd Academy Awards,[7] 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).[8] 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.[9][10]

In September 2021, his film Reflection was shown in the main competition section of the 78th Venice International Film Festival.[11] 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.[12] It was picked up for distribution by the Polish distributor New Europe Film Sales.[12]

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.[13]

Filmography

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Year English Title Original Title Notes
2012 Business as Usual Zvychayna sprava
2017 Black Level Рівень чорного
2019 Atlantis Атлантида
2021 Reflection Відблиск
2025 To the Victory! Documentary

Personal life

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As a child, Vasyanovych studied classical piano 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.[3]

In 2007, he graduated from Poland's Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing.[2]

In March 2022, Vasyanovych called for a cultural boycott of Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ Лауреати Національної премії [National Award Winners]. Committee for the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Valentyn Vasyanovych". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b Basse, Lena (25 January 2021). "Atlantis (Ukraine): Interview with Valentyn Vasyanovych". Golden Globes. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Zvychayna sprava". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b Holdsworth, Nick (29 August 2017). "Oscars: Ukraine Selects 'Black Level' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. ^ Francisco, Eric. "'Atlantis': Netflix release date, trailer, plot, reviews for Ukraine's buzzy sci-fi movie". Inverse. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Film 'Atlantis' has more chances for Oscars than Ukrainian nominees of past years - head of Ukrainian Oscar Committee". Interfax Ukraine. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Atlantis". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  9. ^ Gilles, Jim (4 April 2022). "Vasyanovych's Atlantis: A Prophetic Look at War-Torn Ukraine Before the Current Conflict". The Hollywood Times. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  10. ^ "'Atlantis' envisaged the aftermath of a Russia-Ukraine war". The Economist. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  11. ^ Smith, Anna. "Venice Review: Valentyn Vasyanovych's 'Reflection'". Deadline. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b Barraclough, Leo (8 July 2021). "New Europe Picks Up 'Reflection' By Venice Horizons Winner Valentyn Vasyanovych (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  13. ^ Holdsworth, Nick (6 September 2022). "Ukrainian Director Valentyn Vasyanovych on Venice Competition Entry 'Reflection'". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych asks the international community to "stop all cultural collaboration" with Russia". Cineuropa. Retrieved 7 March 2023. It is necessary to lower the cultural iron curtain around Russia. To stop all cultural collaboration with representatives of a terrorist country that threatens to destroy the whole world.
  15. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (7 March 2022). "Ukrainian Filmmakers Call for Russian Cultural Boycott, Allege Artistic Complicity". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
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