Bondarchuk & Averchenko: Ukrainian Sheriffs
I have had the pleasure to follow from the sideline how Ukrainian filmmakers and friends Dar’ya Averchenko (DA), Roman Bondarchuk (RB) together with Latvian producer and friend Uldis Cekulis have developed their “Ukrainian Sheriffs” that will have its premiere at IDFA on this coming Friday, competing in the main feature duration competition.
At DOK Leipzig where I met them and their wonderful little girl Agata. And we had a conversation of one hour that is now in an edited version to read on the wensite of the film. Here is a tiny clip that also demonstrates that a romantic date can become much more in real life, a marriage and a film!
“RB: It was during one of our dates – Dasha and me – that we met each other. I took a car, we went for some driving around Kherson. There was a huge sign on the road like “Georgievska church, 19-th century, fortress, Cossacks graves” and we were interested to find them. They were touristic signs.
TSM: How many years ago?
DA: It was late 90’es.
RB: No! (Roma says) Really?
TSM: And you were not a couple at that time?
RB: No, it was just one of our first dates… and we turned to the road to nowhere, looking for all these attractions. We couldn’t find anything, so we stopped on the road to ask the way. That’s how we met a local man, a teacher of history.”
This teacher of history became the mayor of Stara Zburjivka and is one of three main characters of the film. Check the website and read the whole interview. And see the film!
