At the last days of this years sunny October is kicked off the 39. “Molodist” International Film Festival in Kiev.
Visitors and guests alike experienced torments of Tantalus. As one of the most beautiful city of the former Soviet Union, or even of the whole Europe, City of Kiev, Mother of All Russian Cities, is abundant of spectacular locations, buildings, views and unparalleled historic heritages – and top off all these temptations the very Festival offered hundreds of rare, interesting and significant movies- and yet we failed to mention the gorgeous Ukrainian gastronomy. So there are a plenty of seduces, and the hapless jurors tight schedule hardly allow to enjoy all these delicacies.
As the Hungarian Member of the FICC jury I don’t have any doubt, as I’ve choose the films.

The annual “Molodist” Festival enjoy a considerable state support, and large scope of sponsors. The Ukrainian establishment is consider the events as its own, and the media ensure him a full coverage.

The Grand Opening Honorary guest was Catherine Deneuve herself, and even the President of Ukraina, Mr Viktor Juschenko is attended at the ceremony.

Prizes in galore

Due to the long list of non-political sponsors the Festival awarded many prizes, and the international juries /Ecumenical, FICC, Fipresci etc. / took into consideration several perspectives and viewpoints to choose the best feature films.
To get to the point – our International Association, the FICC, which consist Andrei Alfyorov (Ukraine), David Miller (UK) and Zoltán Jóna (Hungary) among the 13 feature films in competition picked one, and the Don Quixote prize went to
a Russian Film,
VASILIY SIGARYEV- VOLCHOK - WOLFY
(or by other meaning: The children’s toy –SPINNING WHEEL).
See here more http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446206/
The narrative of this movie is far from the sunny side of our Universe: a white trash hooker, and her not-loved and not-desired offspring’s descent to the hell in the Brueghel or Bosch-like rural Russia. The beginning Guy-Ritchie-esque farce slowly slipping into a damnation-story, up to the cadaver-cold moral zero point.
The extremely economical and punctual visual world never missed a tact, and always kept the narrative strict tempo.
The FICC motivation enclosed at the end.
Its quite striking as both the FIPRESCI and the Ecumenical jury awarded the prize for this movie.

The audience’s sympathy went to the loose Hamlet-remake. the Danish Love and rage - Vanvittig forelsket received the Audiences Award.
This prize awarded to the Authors by the Festival other Honorary Guest, the Belgian-American movie Star, Mr. Jean Claude van Damme. Mr. van Damme - besides of the Festival events - nursing further Ukrainian projects, such as TV shows, Reality shows, etc.

Always look on the bright side of life

The Festival Main Jury with the Head of Monsieur Tony Gatlif, the French-Gypsy Artist and filmmaker judged the 10.000 USD worth Scythian Deer Grand Prix to the Italo-Austrian movie, La pivellina –Little Girl
See more here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1426371/
The film creators, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel picked a hearth-warming reality show-like story, somewhere at the brim of the civil society, a chasers of scarce circus works, inhabitants of a shabby trailer-park, who yet able to find the good part of his/her dim life – to fostering an enchanting 2 years old, abandoned girl. This film was different to the most of the Festival offers – a genuine humanistic story, and a wonderful, world class child actor – a real crowd-pleaser, in a good sense.

Non- healing wounds
Its speak itself on the Festival openness and tolerance as even a poorly casted, posturing and sensationalist Georgian Gagma Napiri could scored a prize. A very plain agit-prop attempt, with a set of didactic manners and dodges, and with bombastic musical effects. The director of this film even invited to the next year jury.

Festival des enfants perdus

In summing the scores of films we may mention, as most of the prized films dealt with abandoned, outcasted, lonely, roaming kids or teenagers. The outcome at least was pretty wobbly. Unless the lead young actors made a terrific job, and many of them was just wonderful.
• FICC JURY- DON QUIXOTE AWARD
VOLCHOK- WOLFY / or SPINNING WHEEL/ Russia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446206/
Grand Prix of the Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist is awarded by the international jury of the festival for the best film of the whole competition program. The Grand Prix winner gets the festival's symbol statuette «Scythian deer», monetary award of 10,000 USD and jury diploma.
In 2009 the decision of the international jury of the 39th International Film Festival «Molodist» was:
Grand prix – Scythian Deer statuette, diploma and 10.000 $ (sponsored by MSL company) – for the best film of all competition program awarded to film
“La Pivellina” by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel (Italy, Austria).
Members of the international jury:
Mr. Toni Gatlif – the Head of the Jury (director, France) – the Head of the International Jury . Mr. Waldemar Dziki (producer, film director, Poland) . Mr. Ivan Malkovych (poet, publisher, Ukraine) . Mr. Vladimir Perisic (director, Serbia) . Mr. Oleksandr Vinogradov (artist, Russia)