Ukrainian film Forever-Forever wins top prize at Istanbul Film Festival

The Ukrainian State Film Agency reported the information.

Ukrainian director Anna Buryachkova's feature-length debut, Forever-Forever, which explores the lives of teenagers who endured the 1990s, received the prestigious Golden Tulip award for Best Film in the International Competition program at the Istanbul International Film Festival.

Forever-Forever is a film about teenagers growing up in the 1990s. It's about the ability to defend your boundaries in every sense. It's about the pre-gadget era, when everything was electrified by hormones and flickering freedom. The film's protagonist, high school student Tonya, moves from a school in the city center to another in a residential area and finds herself in the company of desperate teenagers. Soon, Tonya falls in love with Zhurik, and later with Sanya. 

"This film is a love song dedicated to the confused teenagers of the late 90s who grew up in the midst of post-Soviet ruin, having learned the rule that if no one loves you, you will not survive. We lived in search of this love and verification of our existence in the eyes of others, tolerating violence and injustice. Those who later learned to choose themselves, to defend their own boundaries, both in private and in public life, and most importantly, at the level of the country and our independence," says Buryachkova about the film.

Forever-Forever had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year. The film also participated in the How To Have Sex section at the International Film Festival in Norway.

The film is currently being screened in Poland as part of the OFF CAMERA International Independent Film Festival, which runs in Krakow from April 26 to May 5, 2024. The event is one of the largest independent film festivals in Central Europe.