The Long Farewell
In collaboration with Ukrainian-Canadian programmers Alina Senchenko and Iryna Borzilova, we are presenting a comprehensive overview of Ukrainian film history, spanning nearly a century, from the Soviet era to the present day. A portion of the proceeds from this series will be donated to victims of the war in Ukraine through the Maple Hope Foundation.
Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize, 1987 Locarno Film Festival
Kira Muratova’s exquisite second feature follows the journey of an overbearing mother determined to keep her teenage son close to her, even as he yearns to reconnect with his estranged father. The story beautifully delves into the universal theme of adolescent growth and the challenges parents face in accepting their child’s independence. As the film nears its conclusion, we witness a touching shift in the relationship between parent and child, exposing a vulnerable and apprehensive woman who fears being alone. Insistent repetitions of particular words and phrases, a signature technique in Muratova’s scripts, is used here to great effect.
Kira Muratova
Kira Muratova was an Ukrainian award-winning film director, screenwriter and actress, known for her unusual directorial style. Muratova's films were heavily censored in the Soviet Union, yet she managed to emerge as one of the leading figures of contemporary Ukrainian cinema, and was able to build a very successful film career from the 1960s onwards. She was awarded the People's Artist of Ukraine honorary title in 1989, the Shevchenko National Prize in 1993, and the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize in 2002. Muratova spent much of her artistic career in Odessa, making most of her films at Odesa Film Studios. Her work has been described as "one of the most distinctive and singular oeuvres of cinematic world-making."
Explore
Presented in collaboration with
