«Mavka. The forest Song» Ukrainian Cartoon Makes a Big International Spalsh

24 July, 2017

Though almost two years have been left till the animation feature premiere, the first teaser to “Mavka. The Forest Song” had appeared on the screens of Ukrainian cinemas in July 2017. This non-standard approach was conditioned by significant interest of wide audience to the project, which is now in the development stage.

The European premiere of the first teaser to “Mavka. The Forest Song” animation feature took place on June 15, 2017 at MIFA, the biggest global market of animation content traditionally held under the aegis of Annecy International Animation Festival and got lots of positive feedbacks from the international audience.
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This is a story about love between Mavka, a magical forest princess, and Lukash, a common young villager. They come from such different worlds - the one of magic and nature and the other of everyday human grind – that their happiness seems to be doomed from the start. This story is brimming with love, emotion, humor, adventure, surprises, beauty and profound ideas to which both children and adults will be able to relate. “Mavka. The Forest Song“ is based on a Ukrainian play by Lesya Ukrainka and on ancient pagan mythology. This animated feature revives beautiful legends and masterful literary plot in trendy, modern interpretation. The settings are inspired by real Ukrainian locations, beautiful and rich with cultural allusions.

The cartoon is inspired by a play of the same name by Lesya Ukrainka, as well as by various Ukrainian legends and cultural traditions. The film’s production crew includes experts from leading ethnography institutes: the Ukrainian Studies Center at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, the Ivan Honchar Museum, and the Ukrainian Fashion Museum. The experts are there to ensure the authenticity of the Ukrainian myths and legends, religious beliefs, rituals, and visual culture translated into the singular animated world of Mavka. The world-renowned group DakhaBrakha has already committed to creat the film’s soundtrack.

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In September 2016, Mavka won the ninth contest held by the Ukrainian State Film Agency and got state financing in the amount of 30% of the film’s total budget. “Mavka. The Forest Song“ is scheduled for release in Ukraine in 2019.
Image source: mavka.ua.