In Kyiv, at the “House of Cinema”, the opening ceremony of the 54th international film festival "Molodist" took place. According to the State Film Agency's report on Facebook, this year the festival features 158 films from 59 countries across 14 programs. Additionally, various industry events will occur throughout the festival.
The opening film was "The Apartment" directed by Billy Wilder – a Hollywood classic, commemorating the centenary of Oscar-winning actor Jack Lemmon.
The evening commenced with a moment of silence in memory of all fallen soldiers and civilians who have become victims of Russian aggression.
The ceremony was hosted by TV personalities, Mark Kucevalov and Kateryna Olos, from the new show "Mission Accomplished" on the TET channel.
Andriy Osipov, head of the State Film Agency of Ukraine, delivered a speech and conveyed thanks from Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to film and television producer Serhiy Lavrenyuk. The general director of the Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival, Andriy Khalpakhchi, presented the honorary "Scythian Deer" award to Serhiy Mishchenko, president and general director of ILTA.
The head of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, Serhiy Bordenyuk, also addressed the audience.
The main event of the film festival is the international competition, featuring 12 films this year. Within the documentary debut competition, ten projects from various countries will be showcased.