Valentyn Vasyanovych | |
|---|---|
 Valentyn Vasyanovych in 2019 | |
| Born | 21 July 1971 |
| Occupation | Film director |
Valentyn Vasyanovych (born 21 July 1971)[1] is a Ukrainian film director. He is best known for his two films on post-traumatic stress disorder following armed conflict, Atlantis (2019), and Reflection (2021).
Vasyanovych's first film was a documentary short titled Keepsake, focused on his own family. He created it while squatting with other artists in Kyiv in an abandoned building.[2] His first feature film, Business as Usual (Zvychayna sprava), was released in 2012.[1][3]
His 2017 film Black Level was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards,[4] but it did not make it to the December shortlist. The film tells the story of a wedding photographer who suffers a midlife crisis after losing his sick father and breaking up with his girlfriend.[4]
His 2019 film Atlantis portrayed the trauma of soldiers and civilians in the aftermath of a near-future war between Ukraine and Russia.[5] It won in the Orizzonti section of the 76th Venice International Film Festival; it was also selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards,[6] but it did not make it to the December shortlist. The film was a critical success, with an approval rating of 97% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes (based on 35 reviews).[7] The film drew a new wave of attention when the Russo-Ukrainian War sharply escalated shortly after the film's release with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8][9]
In September 2021, his film Reflection was shown in the main competition section of the 78th Venice International Film Festival.[10] The film tells the story of a Ukrainian soldier tortured by Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine, who must find a way to readjust to civilian life after his release.[11] It was picked up for distribution by the Polish distributor New Europe Film Sales.[11]
Variety describes Vasyanovych's directorial "trademark" as a "series of static, single-frame shots". By the magazine's count, his film Atlantis consisted of only 28 static shots, while Reflection contained 29.[12]
As a child, Vasyanovych studied classical piano to follow in the footsteps of his father, a composer and conductor. However, he had little interest in the subject and felt more drawn to photography, another art in which his father tutored him.[2]
In 2007, he graduated from Poland's Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing.[1]
In March 2022, Vasyanovych called for a cultural boycott of Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13][14]
