№ 6 (1002), 2012 www.uaculture.com
ЖУРНАЛ МІНІСТЕРСТВА КУЛЬТУРИ УКРАЇНИ ПЕРЕДПЛАТНИЙ ІНДЕКС 95220
Ukrainian Culture #6 (1002), 2012 Vasylkivska St. 1, Kyiv, 03040 +38 (044) 498-23-61 pr.uaculture@gmail.com Edition: 2000
The magazine has been publishing since June 1921
This new issue of «The Ukrainian Culture» that you hold in your hands is touched upon the festival life. This summer, in Ukraine there are a lot of interesting cultural activities and events. That is why our magazine has decided to select the most important and most interesting ones and convey to you. In this issue you will find the latest high-profile cultural events in June and see what lived Ukrainian art this month.
Founder: The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Publisher: State Enterprise «National newspaper and magazine publishing» 03040, Kyiv, Vasylkivska Str., 1; tel. +38 (044) 498-23-64 General director: Olesya Bilash
We are going to offer several special projects: «Discussion», «Personality», «Vis-a-vis», «Studio» and share our experiences of being in a truly Ukrainian world — at the festival «The Land of Dreams» that, for nine years of its existence for many Ukrainian people, has become a priority event of the summer. This year again there lived a country that is wanted to be seen by you and me. It was cozy and noisy at the same time. Indeed, it was the traditional «shake» of emotions that were hungry again to fest. In the picturesque hills of the Dnieper, it is even dreamt in a special way. It is remembered as Oleg Skrypka (the festival host) has repeatedly emphasized that the «The Land of Dreams» is a mix of both traditional cuisine and ancient songs, and dance with contemporary reading by musicians and actors. I believe that each of us must establish, first, in our hearts, the country to be close to our culture and traditions. This issue is not only about the festival, we tried to cover the main important events and trends of Ukrainian art space, to see by how lived movie, music and theater in June. Especially for «The Ukrainian Culture» it was analyzed the modern state of translated literature and the role of interpreter in the Ukrainian cultural space.
Editorial board: Olesya Bilash, Victor Pasak, Maxim Budarin, Victor Vecherskiy, Elena Voronko, Olga Darybogova, Oksana Ionova, Larysa Lebedivna, Ivan Mechkov, Larisa Nikiforenko, Elena Cherednichenko, Mikhailo Shved, Igor Gyrych, Lyudmila Gnatiuk, Olga Golynska, Alla Pidluzhna, Natalia Potushnyak Chief еditor: Oksana Gayduk The issue has been worked out by: Oksana Gaiduk, Oksana Zhenzhera, Larisa Goncharenko, Ivan Levytskiy, Sergiy Shylo, Nazar Siradchuk The authors: Anita Grabska, Jana Levytska, Larisa Goncharenko, Liya Guguchiya, Elena Malyarenko, Alexander Moskalets, Igor Bondar-Tereshchenko, Elena Mukosiy, Snejana Goryacheva, Sofia Trykolenko, Olexiy Gavrilenko, Roksolana Berdichev Distribution, subscription, advertisement: +38 (044) 498-23-64, +38 (050) 310-56-63 nvu.kultura.sale@gmail.com The certificate of registration of print media: CR № 1118 from 08.12.1994 The printery: «Publishing and Printing Company «Express Polygraph», LLC 04080, Kyiv, Str., Frunze, 47B, Bldg. 2, tel. +38 (044) 417-25-93 Signed for publication on: July 5, 2012
In our magazine, there are continuing changes, we collect an effective teammates and welcome the assistance of those who are interested in Ukrainian art and culture. We continue to create a culture together. Good reading!
Oksana Gaiduk, Chief editor of «The Ukrainian Culture»
ANITA GRABSKA
DREAM LAND: Going to the Land of Dreams, perhaps, fourth time, I deeply thought about the reasons for its success. The festival movement in Ukraine is considered to be lively. However, the eternal conflict of quantity and quality reveals itself
What attracts and differs in the Land of Dreams from other ones? First of all, it is a colorful fest. The artists and craftsmen come from everywhere. Thus, there is something to see and wonder. Currently, about 250 artists exhibited themselves. The fair offered everything for the wardrobe, economy and donations beginning with elderly and dowry chests and ending with the wooden Cossack sabres and souvenir ceramics. The traditional crafts are mixed well with modern life. For example, a seller of the ceramic flasks from Odessa said to «UK» that his goods are bought by men who love beer. At the same time, to drink alcohol using bottles in public places is prohibited. So, the inventive persons pour those drinks inside authentic flasks with corks and wear them on their sides. The festival performances have been organized with high quality. All viewers can be assured that the holiday will not drop down at the last minute for either blackout or late arrival of a group. The fest location is very suitable — the Singing Field lies nearby Lavra, so the residents of Kiev reach the place by the fixed route taxi and subway. The area is quite civilized – there is no wide field which may happen to be boggy when it rains (as it was at last year's «Trypillya Circle»), neither dry steppe nor dicomposed fortress. Just the ordinary benches are under
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MINI MODEL OF IDEAL UKRAINE or why we need ethnofestival
THE MAIN IDEA OF THE FESTIVAL IS A CREATIVE SPACE WITH A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, BRIGHT IDEAS AND INTENTIONS, UNDISTORTED SENSE OF AUTHENTIC, FOLK TRADITIONS, AS SENSITIVE AND CARING ATTITUDE NEED NOT ONLY THE WORLD AND NATURE, BUT EVERYONE
the stage. From The stone stairs and sidewalks insure audience of mess. You can readily attend restrooms. The «UK» has counted 16 dry closets. Unfortunately, the only drawback was a food. Of course, «we are here not for stuffing our faces», but to fest all day along, the little buns are for sure not enough. Last years, only hot dogs and buns of unknown origin were proposed in stands. Now, there were sandwiches in cellophane. The special drilled personnel from a Kiev restaurant fed all visitors by porage with meat, pancakes and pies, gave to drink uzvar and other authentic drinking at a reasonable price. In the near stand, they gave dumplings (30 UAH per serving). However, on the second day, they had been eaten even before lunch. Fortunately, the barbecues appeared fast. Although, one portion of the barbecues cost 100 UAH, the starving guests crowded in lines. But this is enough about the basic instincts. The Land of Dreams is one of the numberless fests for the whole family. Kids enthusiastically pictured walls and wove in master classes, parents walked slowly, young people danced, grandparents watched around… According to organizers, the fest was visited by about 9,000 people. Prices agreed were quite reasonable: 50 UAH per one day and 80 per two days respectively. Pensioners were allowed free entrance and children met sufficient discounts.
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Unlike many Fests, the Country of Dreams has the main idea. It is patriotic, covered with symbols (showing folk arts) and natural. This year, the holiday slogan is «Supporting the development of our living culture — this is our dream»! Where more may residents and visitors, especially without straining, see a variety of Ukrainian culture? After all, that is just everyday life for the residents of Western or Northern Ukraine, but here it is perceived as an exotic. In passing it should be mentioned that Ukraine is polycultural country. It was in the limelight. For the first time, the Crimean and Tatar scenes appeared where beauties with long hairs were dancing and singing. On the literary scene read their poems the Gagauz, Romanian and Bulgarian authoresses. As usual, there was built an area of Japanese culture. On the big stage there were playing previously unknown bands from Brazil, France and Georgia. The particular ethnic pattern has arisen. The festival cares of this. Competition for the best embroidery again was announced in social network. About 70 people competed. Third time, the Kobzar slam — a public event with open refereeing took place in the fest. The 16 participants played songs «Besame mucho», discos Boney M and jazz music using exclusively Kobza and humorous Ukrainian banduras... Amongst them was the first foreigner — Mustafa, a musician from Turkey. Youth used gather both on the stage and the benches. The costumed Cossacks and festively dressed mothers walked around holding in their hands of babies in ethnic suits. A little further down the slope, the muscular guys from the Brotherhood Fighting Cossack Custom «Spas» showed their training mastery. So, they evidentally demonstrated that despite the contemporary dominance «jellyfishes» having beer bellies in their 20-25 years, between us still are really strong men. The atmosphere was touching and inspiring. At the same time, like in popular cartoons, the magic had worked not for everybody. The boor saleswomen can not be changed. Nearby beer tents a girl dropped paper cover into a tank. The woman behind the counter strictly screamed: «Do not throw your garbage here! Put a tank and dispose all there!» The answer of the girl was that ice cream bough right in this booth. Nevertheless, it seemed not convincing to the saleswoman. We observed this straight behind the gate that leads to the Land of Dreams.
Бразильська гостя фестивалю Lilian Vieira (Zuco 103)
Our capital lacks of national identity, it must be gently and thoughtfully grafted
Група «Танок На Майдані Конго» презентувала спеціально підготовлену до фестивалю етнопрограму
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY Vasily Shklyar, writer and Shevchenko Prize winner: «I came to the festival with my wife, her name is Valentina. The mass produced souvenirs being lain and proposed everywhere are not liked to me.Worldwide all souvenirs are very monotonous. The mass festivals are visited often by me, here — the first time. Now I was all in fishing and wish to sit inside the rush, but my meeting with readers had been long planned. So, I should keet the word and come. There, where my reader is, that who sincerely loves my books, I always come.» Mary Burmaka, singer: «I came with my father, his name is Viktor Pavlovich. At the festival, he is for the first time but I am here every year. We like that here are so many people in embroidered shirts. My father all his life promoted Ukrainian embroidered shirt and walked in Kharkov even in the 70-80s. I have never seen before so many people in the costumes at a time. We must give Oleg Skrypka credit for his embroidered shirts which became fashionable. And, the modern moveton is not to have any in wardrobe. Such a shirt should be put on a person to come to «The Land of Dreams.» Jaroslav Dzhus, bandura, Kobza-player, co-organizer of the third slam: «I am in the Dream Land at least in fifth time. It all started with what we have with a friend decided to continue the tradition of itinerant blind bandura musicians and annually played the kobzar music here by the way. Later it turned into a slam. The festival gathers the people who lack the Ukrainian culture being proposed by the radio and television. Such audiences are very pleased to hear this work.»
Fagot, group Tanok na Maidani Kongo: «Especially for the festival, we have prepared a program of ethnic music. These songs have been replayed by other musicians. Some ethnic notes have been added for ethnic and traditional instruments. There are flute, bandura and bass. I used to use a bassoon that do not so often having a nostalgic note, still finished conservatory. In this format it sounds respectively». Vitaly Kapranov, writer, publisher, co-organizer of the Literary Scene and III Kobza-player slam: «My brother and me, for the first time taking part in the festival, thought if it is really the Land of Dreams, it can not exist without books. So, there should be a literary component. This year we have expanded our activity to the theater. There were two performances. All dreams should be covered. Every time you think, what you do that and you find another answer — so, not without reason you work.» Martha Llanos, UNICEF consultant, Peru: «I like this festival because it encourages people to discover their inner identity and foreigners to learn more about Ukrainian culture. I love to travel and for many years wanted to go to Ukraine. I arrived here alone for three days. Special problems with the language there are abscent. I apply gestures and facial mimic. It looks like a small theater. But here are many people understand English.» Thomas Vilk, farmer, Germany: «Probably, I shall buy some souvenirs and gifts for my relatives and friends. But the most important is the people which I can meet here. I am in Ukraine for three weeks, arrived at Euro 2012. I was in Lviv. That was fantastic. All is quite different than was described by German newspapers.»
q
The traditions have come alive in the present. Otherwise, they are easy forgotten
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PEOPLE IN DREAMS LAND
Two days on the slopes of the Dnipro there was a mini-model of Ukraine which I want to see it, like the Land of Dreams 6
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UKRAINIAN FILM: STRIDES TOWARDS THE FUTURE TOGETHER WITH ODESSA FILM FESTIVAL
The development of national cinema is one of the priorities of the Odessa International Film Festival.This year the festival organizes several programs on the present and the recent history of Ukrainian cinema: national competition, retrospective of Ukrainian cinema early 90's, and a number of other professional activities: pitching* projects, demonstrations of cinema works at the final stage of production and the professional discussions
This year the Odessa film festival is first going to demonstrate a full-scale national competition, where the newest Ukrainian moovies will be demonstrated. The winner of the contest will receive the prize «Golden Duke» for the best Ukrainian film and premium of 50,000 UAH. In the national contest the OICF-2012 presents 18 films, among them there are the full-length fictions, documentary and short works having shot in Ukraine for the last eighteen months. In the context of this program, three world premieres of the Ukrainian feature films («Plain Business» Valentyn Vasyanovych, «The lifetime of an object in the frame» Alexander Balagura and «Apartments» Alexander Shapiro) will be took place.
«The Plain Business» of Valentyn Vasyanovych
* Pitching (from the English. «Pitch» — sport) — presentation of the film project to find investors willing to fund this project.
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The «Plain Business» of Valentyn Vasyanovych is involved both in the Ukrainian and international programs. The hero-doctor is expelled from his work for a fight with his patients. But the hero interprets this event as a good sign and decides to start a new life. Fi-
nally, his dream to become a «free» poet will be accomplished and if he be lucky — even known one. Eventually, the poems he writes are really not bad. Luckily, at the life moment, nearby occurs his old friend Slavik, who knows everything: what the meaning of life is, how to make money and how to be happy. The friend involves the hero in a string of absurd situations in which our main hero lost almost everything he had.
A documentary project of Sergey Bukovsky «Ukraine: The Starting Point» being devoted to the 20th anniversary of Ukraine's independence has been submited to the festival. The epochal events of 1989-1991 years forever changed the geopolitical situation in the world and the lives of millions. The director's research sheds light on how the independent Ukraine was being arisen.
The moovie «The Secret Freedom» shows the dramatic story of the Ukrainian Cinema in 1960-1990's and the derectors’ creative activity of the O. Dovzhenko film studio such as Sergey Paradjanov, Ivan Mykolaichuk, Leonid Osyka, Mykola Mashchenko, Roman Balayan and others. The film is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the death of Mykolaichuk.
The Ukrainian films will be evaluated by the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Films) which presents its awards at prestigious eighty film festivals all around the world
The documentary project of Sergey Bukovsky «Ukraine: The Starting Point»
Alexander Shapiro, whose films were repeatedly presented at all prestigious film festivals (Berlin, Cannes), and participated in the last year international competition at the Odessa Film Festival, would present his new film «The apartments.» The movie tells us about a famous dentist who in his birthday falls into the hands of cruel sisters having caused by voluntary anesthesia directly from his subconsciousness. The moovie name «The lifetime of an object in the frame» of Alexander Balagura is one of the finds of the film exhibition. The plot of the film touches upon a journey for a photos taken during the last twenty years. On the photos that were revealed by a cameraman there are people, things and places which now have been too changed or even disappeared. These photos reflect the world which on the one hand no longer exists and on the other hand the world in which each of us still lives.
«The Yellow Flower for Monsieur Burione» of Larysa Artyugina
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«The Gambrinus» of Dmitry Meskheev
... open unknown, marginal, veiled for a decade the fallow field that has the name driven out of a movie revival The moovie «Champions of the gateway» of Ahtem Seitablayev is based on a historical fact: the victory of the Ukrainian team at the World Football Championship among the homeless, held in Milan in 2009. The deep passion to football interweaves the fates of completely different people. During the festival under the support of UNICEF, this film will be showed to one of the Odessa orphanages.
history there is a Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Dodoka that fought in World War II and was shot down during an air battle, but luckily survived. Having escaped from German captivity, he returned home, but there gets charged with high treason and occurs in Soviet prison camps. Then, having broken away the prison, a former pilot came to Canada and became a leader of the Iroquois tribe.
The film «The one who came through the fire» under directorship of famous Michael Illienko also is around real events. In the center of the
The low-budget film «Gamer» shot with nonprofessional actors in 2012 was engaged to the Rotterdam Film Festival, which specializes
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in independent and alternative cinema. Also, The «Gamer» received the Award of Russian film critics at the festival «Spirit of Fire» in Khanty-Mansiysk (where the president was the director Sergey Soloviov). Besides the eight feature films, the Ukrainian national contest is going to gather eleven short films such as «The Independence Day» of Antonina Noyabryova, «The Jealousy» of Alan Badoev, «The Yellow Flower for Monsieur Burione» and «No GMO» of Larisa Artyugina, «Strange People» of Chris Woods», «The Beard» of Dmitry Sukholytkiy-Sobchuk, «The Beautiful Woman» of Aliona Alimova», «The Pie» of Yuriy Kovalyov», «The Angel of Death»and «The Hamburg» of Vladymyr Tykhyi, «The Visit» of Lisa Smith. The retrospective program «The Lost World: Ukrainian cinema early 90's» includes the unique films that were filmed in Ukraine two decades ago and won many awards, but never got to a wider audience through the collapse of the Soviet film distribution. «In the early 90's, in the emerging film production decline in Ukraine, there were spontaneously appearing the movies confirming
the need for commercial projects as well as searches and their implementation. Broadly speaking, those are works of the directors born in the 50's and 60's, who puts their first full-length films yet inside the state film studios, often self-supporting themselves, partially by cooperation with the domestic and foreign establishment. Most of them are the middle or low-budget movies within existential issues, the mentality mess, the sexual emancipation standing on the background of perishing Soviet society and ideological changes. Also, these films incite passion of directors to universal love stories having the personal author handwriting. Since most movies of the 1990s did not make it in time for the Ukrainian audience, fate has driven some of the directors in other people's worlds, some of them into the hugs of tv-art, too many of them were hopelessly forced to abandon the profession. However, to watch their debut pictures and estimate them over a new perspective of twenty years is to open unknown, marginal, veiled for a decade the fallow field that has the name driven out of a movie revival»- so characterizes the films retrospective known in Western Europe, historian and head of the Ukrainian Cinematography Jury of the Ukrainian section of the Odessa Film Festival, Lubomyr Goseyko.
«The Beard» of Dmitriy Sukholytkiy-Sobchuk
In the retrospective has been included such films as «The First Floor» of Igor Minaev, «The Pit» of Svetlana Elyinska, «The Oxygen Starvation» of Andrey Donchuk, «The Gambrinus» of Dmitry Meskheev, «Ivan A.» of Igor Chernitsky. In creating these films, there were participating artists from Russia and Ukraine having the superior level of their mastery such as Yuriy Andrukhovich, Andriy Kurkov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Irina Rozanov, Valentina Talyzina, Tatiana Dohilyeva, Oleg Menshykov, Aleksey Gorbunov and many others. Besides Lubomyr Goseyko, the jury also included the director of the largest German UCF Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg Kirsten Nihuus; the Ukrainian director Andrei Donchyk, whose film «The Oxygen Starvation» is going to be represented in retrospect — «The Lost World: Ukrainian cinema 90s» and a French producer and distributor Laurent Daniel. In addition to the national competition jury, the Ukrainian films will be evaluated by the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Films) which presents its awards at prestigious eighty film festivals all around the world. A glimpse into the future of Ukrainian cinema will enable a broad professional program: pitching-session (which will feature designs of future films), demonstrating the incomplete films at the final stage of production, as well as a series of professional discussions and round tables. The best project for pitching will also receive a prize: an award from the festival partner — the UDP company.
«The First Floor» of Igor Minaev
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UNIFYING SPIRIT OF
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THE FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
Photo: Nazariy Siradchuk
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WHAT IS THE MEANING YOU DEFINE TO THE TERM «UKRAINIAN CULTURE»?
OLEG VERHILIS, THEATER CRITIC: The Ukrainian culture is a spiritual heritage of great people, beautiful ethnic group that does not suffer from inferiority complex, is not not ashamed its past, creates decent examples of art today and has a margin of safety «for tomorrow». It is an expression of sincere and altruistic principles through an idealistic creative perception of both the world and the universe even inside the walls of one neighbor's house.
ANGELICA RUDNYTSKA, SINGER, TV PRESENTER: According to a specified dictionary of foreign words, the culture is «a set of material and spiritual values created by mankind in its history». The Ukrainian culture is the same, but created by Ukrainians. Here I and you can not invent a bicycle.
OLGA SUMSKA, ACTRESS AND TV PRESENTER: The Ukrainian culture, as a Shevchenko’s womanwage-earner, is both such long-suffering person and close to everybody. Will it better? No one knows, especially in the context of current events. But there is hope in our lives. We especially actors dream about roles in the Ukrainian cinema which has to revive and carry to people this real Ukrainian style. In the meantime, let us keep up what remained in the families, and pass to our children the Ukrainian unique songs, stories and traditions. Better of us, the parents, nobody will do it.
DENNIS POVALIY, SINGER:
SEVEN MOUNTAINS, THE DIRECTOR:
Say so. As for me, Ukraine culture is a ridiculous attempt to somehow link the embroidery and painted Easter eggs with Lady Gaga and other global trends in the minds of people who are not interested in anything or otherwise.
Ukrainian culture is a poor cousin at the wedding of gas and football.
IGOR BONDAREV-TERESHCHENKO, LITERARY CRITIC:
VLAD CHEKHOV, SINGER, TV PRESENTER: The Ukrainian culture is a unique total spiritual experience of the Ukrainian people. It is the original and unique part of world cultural creativity. It is the result of the original synthesis of the spiritual ascent of ancient civilizations living around the Black Sea territory, indigenous Slavic paganism, good light of Christianity, European humanism and popular romantic love to freedom. This is a complete set of religious beliefs, philosophical ideas, spiritual and material samples of art that affirm the unity of the Ukrainian people.
VIKTOR PAVLIK, SINGER: It is everything. All in Ukraine is a culture. The very essence of it — it is already culture. Nina Matvienko, Dmytro Hnatiuk, Vasyl Zinkevich, Nazar Yaremchuk, Anatoliy Solovyanenko, Taras Petrynenko, Raisa Kyrychenko and many others – that is culture of Ukraine. An unlimited talent which given to many people by the Lord God is also a culture. The beauty of our motherland Ukraine is also a culture. Love the Ukraine!
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Provided that the current profanity of such ontological concepts as «Ukrainian culture», it may be reminded that that is, of course, tradition to be free interpretive either the «state» or other «modern» categories. At the same time, it will be a subversion of canon. That is a practical manual on rules of behavior during sleep.
GENNADY WIND, SINGER, TV PRESENTER: From all sides, it is only heard that we have no any Ukrainian culture! It is absolutely clear that for a long time all that got out — the writers pens was a stratification of Soviet ideology, but there always remained our unrivaled melody, breadth of thought and courage of young authors to all sorts of creative twists. It is very difficult to judge about that where you constantly are, but when it comes to music, we long ago stepped over the frontier of «right» sound. Our theatrical performances have always particularly creative gloss while I am very annoyed by some translations. Movies should long be uplifted, not just talked about them. There are a lot of gifted people and the television industry has proven that we are at the front line… Thus, the Ukrainian culture is a swift thinking and innovative approaches of creative people, and they were, are and always would be! Just do not interfere with all these ideas to implement them!
THE UKRAINIAN CULTURE
IS NOT A NICHE
BUT THE SPACE!