“WE WILL NOT FADE AWAY” WINS SILVER EYE AWARD
We've learned the winners of the Silver Eye Awards. The main prize went to the producers of the Polish-Ukrainian-French film We Will Not Fade Away by Alisa Kovalenko.
The Silver Eye Award is unique among other film awards in that it is given to the producer, not the director of the film. The award is intended to support the promotion and international distribution of the film. Films participating in the competition are divided into three categories – short, medium, and feature length. Winners receive a statuette, a cash prize, and a year-long representation of their film in the East Silver Caravan, which entails the promotion of the winning film at over 130 of the most important film festivals and markets worldwide.
This year, the main prize went to the producers of the co-production We Will Not Fade Away, including Katarzyna Kuczyńska from HAKA Films.
In We Will Not Fade Away, we follow the lives of five Ukrainian teenagers growing up in small towns in the country's coal mining region. Like their peers around the world, they struggle with boredom and numerous frustrations related to finding their own identity and path in life. However, these five are in Donbass, where war has been raging for years. Not only has the region been economically devastated, but battles continue to be fought in the distance – and sometimes quite close. The young people wrestle with reality, trying to find their way through the chaos using drawing, photography, music, and most importantly – friendship. They rebel, get swept up in adventure, daringly venture onto minefields and into coal mines, and play in ruined houses, attempting to make the most of the final golden hours of childhood. As they dream of escape, an unexpected invitation arrives. Would they like to visit Nepal and trek through the foothills of the Himalayas? – asks a well-known Ukrainian traveller. Suddenly, a glimmer of light sparks in the darkness. They train intensely to realise this seemingly impossible dream, documenting their efforts in video diaries. As the situation worsens in their homeland, the threat of a full-scale Russian invasion looms. Will the hopes and dreams of these young people endure?
You can read more about this year's award here.