KYIV CRITICS’ WEEK is an international film festival created to introduce Ukrainian viewers to the best new films selected by professional Ukrainian film critics. The festival program includes films from the line-ups of this year’s major world film festivals, as well as films that have had a significant impact on the history of cinema or are dedicated to prominent figures of cinema.
After each screening, the audience will have a discussion with a film critic.
CURATORS OF THE 2024 FESTIVAL
Prominent Ukrainian film critics act as curators:-
Daria Badior
Critic, journalist, editor. Published in Ukrainian and international media: Suspilne Kultura, Dwutygodnyk, Osteuropa, Kino Raksti and others. Co-founder of the Union of the Ukrainian film critics. Member of the European Film Academy.
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Stanislav Bytiutskyi
Film critic, director. Head of the scientific and program department of the Dovzhenko Center. Published in Ukrainian and international publications about cinema and culture.
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Serhiy Ksaverov
Film critic. Member of the International Film Press Association (FIPRESCI) and the Union of the Ukrainian film critics. He’s a regular contributor to LB.UA and DTF MAGAZINE.
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Anna Datsiuk
Film critic, lecturer of the course on cinema at the Cultural Project, and curator of the cinema hall at the SWEET.TV online platform.
CURATORS OF THE 2024 FESTIVAL
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Maria Månson
Danish film critic, moderator, and culture journalist. Formerly a host at DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) on several TV and radio shows, she now freelances across TV, podcasts, and live events. She holds an MA in Media Studies and a BA in Literature from the University of Copenhagen and serves on the board of Danish Film Critics.
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Mathilde Johanne Kristiansen
Danish film journalist and critic based in Copenhagen. She works as a senior writer at the online magazine Soundvenue, where she reviews films and TV series, writes news and interviews with directors and stars, and covers the intersection of cinema, streaming, pop culture, and the online world. She holds a BA in Film and Media Studies and is a member of the Danish Film Critics Association, with a particular passion for comedy.
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Nanna Frank Rasmussen
Danish film, TV, and literature critic at the national daily newspaper Politiken and president of the Danish Film Critics Association. She has curated several film festival programs, served as a juror at multiple international film and TV festivals, and is a frequent commentator in Danish media. She is also a vocal advocate for equality and inclusion in the film and media industry.
Zhovten Cinema is a cult place for several generations of Kyiv cineastes.
It opened in 1931 as “Deviate Derzhkino” (“Ninth State Cinema”). Over the years, the building has been re-peatedly reconstructed. Not only the technical equipment was updated, but the building itself transformed several times. During the Nazi occupation, the building retained its purpose, only its name was changed to “Gloria”. In 1943, after the liberation of Kyiv, the cinema received its current name.
Initially, the Zhovten cinema planned to show silent films. The opening film – Hegemon – was silent. The largest of its cinema’s screening halls was named after this film. In the last decades of the XX century, the cinema has occupied a special niche in the cinematic space. It has become a hub, where viewers discover the best works of world and Ukrainian cinema, various festival programs, previews, creative meetings and retrospectives.
Since 2021, Zhovten has become a member of the network of cinemas Europe Cinema and is an active participant in the programs of this network, which proves that the level of its services meets international standards because the activities of this organization are aimed at supporting and promoting the development of art cinemas in Europe and the world. Zhovten is the only cinema in Ukraine that synchronizes its work with the European cinema community, and also holds European Film Month with the support of the European Film Academy, and since 2017 has been participating in the international festival European Art Cinema Day, held under the auspices of the International Confederation of Art House Cinemas (CICAE) in partnership with the Europe Cinema association.