04/03/2025 - BERLINALE 2025: The Ukrainian director offers insights to his upcoming film, which won the Eurimages Special Co-production Development Award at the Berlinale Co-Production Market

Ukrainian writer-director Maksym Nakonechnyi spoke to Cineuropa after winning the Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award (which comes with a €20,000 cash prize) for his project The Earth Is Flat – I Flew Around and Saw It at the recent Berlinale Co-Production Market (see the news). The project is a Ukrainian production, led by producer Daria Zakharova for Kyiv-based outfit Tabor Production.

Cineuropa: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind The Earth Is Flat – I Flew Around and Saw It, its main themes, and what you aim to convey through the story?
Maksym Nakonechnyi: The idea of the story came to me a while ago, even before the full-scale invasion [of Ukraine by Russia[, but with the years passing by, its relevance has only grown. Simply put, it is a fictional story about a flat Earth theory believer’s journey around the globe. During this trip, which he undertakes with a couple of his friends, their safe image of the world is ruined step by step. In the end, each of them, and all of them together, must take a stand when confronted with the harsh objective reality. The film covers a wide range of topics, that may seem unrelated at first glance, such as conspiracy theories, migration, the anti-vaccine movement, queerness, space, resentment and so on. My goal is to highlight the connections and similarities between all these topics and processes, and how we as humans perceive them and experience them. The flat Earth theory, in this case, serves as an extreme example of how a person might deny reality in order to feel safe and with an intention to simplify a complex world. Ultimately, after making and watching this movie, I want all of us to somehow reflect on our own “flat Earth theories” and prepare ourselves for the moment when objective reality crashes them one way or another.

Can you provide an update on the current stage of development for your project and elaborate on the next steps? 
We are very happy with the recent involvement of renowned Ukrainian novelist Artem Chapeye as co-writer on the script. At the moment, we have completed the first draft of the script and we are now prepared to begin preproduction based on it.

How would you reflect on your overall experience at this year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market and what were some of the key moments for your project?
We were delighted with the attention our project received from all the potential partners, even though meeting so many of them within such a short period of time was definitely overwhelming. This experience confirmed for us the potential significant audience appeal our project holds. And winning an award on top of that was, of course, more than amazing and truly inspiring.

How do you plan to make the most of the Eurimages Co-Production Special Development Award, and in what ways will it contribute to the growth and sustainability of your project?
This particular award will help us sustain the Ukrainian part of the pre-production and strengthen the position of the Ukrainian production company in both the development and production phases of the project. We will use the funds to cover screenwriting fees, a portion of Ukrainian casting, research, and consultation expenses. Moreover, having confirmed financing will allow us to apply to additional international funds, further expanding our opportunities. From Eurimages' perspective, this award is not just a financial boost but also an investment in the long-term sustainability and capacity of our co-production, for which we are extremely grateful.

Given the current situation in Ukraine, how challenging has it been to produce your new film, and what obstacles have you encountered along the way? 
In times of war, geopolitical turbulence, and frozen funds, making a film is definitely a challenge. However, our participation in several production markets has reinforced our belief that, with the support and involvement of our international partners, we can make it happen—though the process will undoubtedly be longer and more demanding. Despite the difficulties, we remain optimistic and still hope to bring the film to audiences within the next couple of years.