On Saturday, the 17th edition of the Odesa International Film Festival concluded with a grand closing ceremony, after the event was held for the third time in Kyiv owing to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The festival persisted despite the capital city facing its most intense week of attacks from Russia in August, screening 84 films across ten sections in addition to holding 30 industry events, 16 lectures for film-school students and three workshops hosted by international experts. “As long as we gather together and tell our stories, we remain free,” proclaimed festival managing director Anna Machukh at the ceremony.

To Die to Live by Yuliia Hontaruk, which premiered in the Special Screenings section at Karlovy Vary this year, was the big winner of the evening. As an expansive 12-year portrait of three Ukrainian men starting from Russia’s 2014 invasion through to the present day, the film earned its first Golden Duke by winning the festival’s top prize of the Grand Prix along with 75,000 UAH (approximately €1,440). It was chosen by audience vote from across both the national and international competitions.

To Die to Live collected its second Golden Duke by winning Best Ukrainian Documentary Film and another 75,000 UAH in the national competition, chosen out of four documentaries by the jury members – filmmaker Salomé Alexi, producer Natalia Libet, filmmaker Volodymyr Mula, programmer Freddy Olsson and photojournalist Damir Sagolj.

Ten fiction features competed for the top prize in the national competition, where To the Victory! by Valentyn Vasyanovych emerged as the winner of the Best Ukrainian Fiction Feature Award, earning a Golden Duke and 75,000 UAH. With a dual sense of bleakness and hope, Vasyanovych’s meta film speculates on the state of post-war Ukraine by following a filmmaker whose wife and daughter now live abroad. The work ended up as a triple festival winner, also collecting the FIPRESCI Prize and a Special Award from MEGOGO of 500,000 UAH (approximately €9,680) for promotion.

In the international competition, Alli Haapasalo’s Tell Everyone collected the Golden Duke for Best International Feature Film, after being selected by producer Kristina Åberg, filmmaker Pavlo Ostrikov, director Danis Tanović, actor Anastasia Karpenko and Cineuropa’s own Olivia Popp. The jury highlighted the film’s alignment with the festival’s tagline, “Freedom is in our DNA”, and spotlighted its ensemble cast and detailed production design. For the powerful leading performances of its two young actors and attention to cinematography, Maciej Sobieszczański’s Brother received a Special Mention.

In the industry pitching competition, Ivan Sautkin’s self-described tragicomic documentary DNA of the Nation won two awards in the Work in Progress section, receiving a cash prize of 80,000 UAH (approximately €1,545) from Film Industry Office UPHub and $3,500 (approximately €3,010) for post-production services in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 from Cinema Sound UA Production.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Grand Prix – Audience Award
To Die to Live – Yuliia Hontaruk (Ukraine/Latvia/Slovakia)

National Competition

Best Ukrainian Documentary Film
To Die to Live – Yuliia Hontaruk
Special Mention
The Miner – Mykola But (Ukraine)

Best Ukrainian Fiction Feature
To the Victory! – Valentyn Vasyanovych (Ukraine/Lithuania)

International Competition

Best International Feature Film
Tell Everyone – Alli Haapasalo (Finland/Sweden)
Special Mention
Brother – Maciej Sobieszczański (Poland)

Other awards

FIPRESCI Prize
To the Victory! – Valentyn Vasyanovych

MEGOGO Award
To the Victory! – Valentyn Vasyanovych

Development Pitching

Kyivstar TV Award
Evening School – Pylyp Dotsenko (Ukraine)
Producers: Nadia Parfan, Diana Anikeeva

BRIGHT POINT Skalyha Foundation Award
Noah – Marysia Nikitiuk (Ukraine/Croatia)
Producers: Igor Savychenko, Solomiya Ilnytska, Hrvoje Osvadić, Sébastien Delloye, Labina Mitevska, Gary Kranner

Work in Progress Pitches

Film Industry Office UPHub Award
DNA of the Nation – Ivan Sautkin (Ukraine/Lithuania)
Producers: Ivanna Khitsinska, Ringailė Leščinskienė

Tabor Award
Friendship of Peoples - Mariia Shevchenko (Ukraine)
Producers: Artem Ryzhykov, Mariia Shevchenko

Cinema Sound UA Production Award
DNA of the Nation – Ivan Sautkin

Shared Frames Award
Dad: A Century of Unanswered Questions – Ksenia Bugrimova (Ukraine)
Producers: Ksenia Bugrimova, Elena Andreicheva, Olga Panteleymonova