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Valentyn Vasyanovych
Valentyn Mykolayovych Vasyanovych (Ukrainian: Валентин Миколайович Васянович; 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). FilmsVasyanovych'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] Personal lifeAs 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] References
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