25/04/2018 - The war film by Akhtem Seitablaev received six gongs and Marina Stepanska’s Falling three; Sergei Loznitsa scooped Best Director at the second Ukrainian ceremony

The Ukrainian Film Academy handed out its second National Film Awards at a ceremony on 20 April. As was the case last year, the initial selection of the films nominated for a Golden Dziga was made by the Ukrainian Film Board, followed by a voting process involving all the members of the academy.

The war film and local hit Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Akhtem Seitablaev dominated the awards, taking home six Golden Dzigas. Apart from Best Film, the military drama also received the main Dzigas for Best Actor for Vyacheslav Dovzhenko, Best Supporting Actor for Viktor Zhdanov, Best Screenplay for Natalia Vorozhbyt and, in the technical categories, Best Art Direction and Best Make-up.

Sergei Loznitsa was handed the Yuri Illienko Prize for Best Director for his Cannes-premiered A Gentle Creature [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sergei Loznitsa
film profile]. Marina Stepanska’s debut drama, Falling [+see also:
trailer
interview: Marina Stepanska
film profile], left the ceremony with three Golden Dzigas: Best Actress for Dasha Plakhtiy, Best Composer for Mykyta Moiseyev and Best Sound Design for Serhiy Stepanskyi. Finally, the newly founded Audience Choice Award, the recipient of which was selected after an online voting process, was bestowed upon the comedy DZIDZIO Contrabass.

It should be noted that the ninth edition of the Odesa International Film Festival, which instigated the Ukrainian Film Academy and supported the National Film Awards, will be held from 13-21 July 2018 in Odesa, Ukraine.

Here is the complete list of winners at the second Ukrainian National Film Awards:

Best Film
Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Akhtem Seitablaev

Best Director (Yuri Illienko Prize)
Sergei Loznitsa – A Gentle Creature [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sergei Loznitsa
film profile] (France/Russia/Germany/Lithuania/Netherlands/Ukraine)

Best Actress
Dasha Plakhtiy – Falling [+see also:
trailer
interview: Marina Stepanska
film profile]

Best Actor
Vyacheslav Dovzhenko – Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die

Best Supporting Actress
Nina Naboka – The Strayed [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Supporting Actor
Viktor Zhdanov – Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die

Best Screenplay
Natalia Vorozhbyt – Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die

Best Cinematography
Valentyn Vasyanovych – Black Level [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Art Direction
Shevket Seidametov – Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die

Best Composer
Mykyta Moiseyev – Falling

Best Sound Design
Serhiy Stepanskyi – Falling

Best Make-up
Liliana Khoma – Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die

Best Costume Design
Svitlana Symonovych – Chervonyi [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Documentary
Slovo House [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Taras Tomenko

Best Animated Film
Prychynna – Andriy Shcherbak

Best Narrative Short Film
Graduation ’97 – Pavlo Ostrikov

Golden Dziga for Contribution to Ukrainian Cinema 
Vyacheslav Kryshtofovych

Audience Choice
DZIDZIO Contrabass – Oleg Borshchevskyi