Ukrainian sci-fi U Are The Universe is among 13 feature projects selected for the Work in Progress strand of Les Arcs Film Festival, which runs from December 16-23.
The feature debut of Ukrainian filmmaker Pavlo Ostrikov, the film shot in 2022 and is currently in post-production, produced by Ukraine’s ForeFilms and Belgium’s Stenola, with backing from the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Set after the explosion of Earth, the film follows a lonely Ukrainian astronaut who believes he is the only survivor – until he hears a French scientist on the radio, and decides to find her.
Volodymyr Kravchuk plays the lead role; Anna Yatsenko and Volodymyr Yatsenko produced the film. Volodymyr Yatsenko previously compared the film to Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar “for 1% of the budget”, speaking to film publication Cineuropa.
Other Les Arcs selections include Paradijs, the debut feature feature of Dutch actress Bobbie Koek, who has directed episodes of Skam NL, the Dutch adaptation of popular Norwegian series Skam.
Shot in September of this year, Paradijs follows a teenage father who suddenly finds himself alone with his baby. It is produced by the Netherlands’ Fixy with Belgium’s A Private View, which produced Vasilis Katsoupis’ Inside starring Willem Dafoe this year.
One of the 13 titles, Anthony Schatteman’s Young Hearts, will play out-of-competition in partnership with Flanders Image; the remaining 12 projects will compete for three awards, for post-production, audience engagement and music composition.
Excerpts from the 13 films will be screened to attending industry on Sunday 17 in Les Arcs, with the awards ceremony for the Industry Village on Monday 18.
The Work in Progress strand received a record 181 project submissions this year, with 17 countries represented across the final selection.
The Co-Production Village and Talent Village selections were revealed last month.
Les Arcs 2023 Work in Progress selection
Acts Of Love (Den) dir. Jeppe Ronde, prod. Paloma Productions
Hotel Orion (Hun) dir. Zoltan Moll, prods. Zoltan Moll, Odesa Films
Little Trouble Girls (Slovenia-It-Cro-Ser) dir. Urska Djukiv, prods. Spok Film, Staragara I.T., Izazov, Nosorogi, Non-Aligned Films
Paradijs (Neth-Bel) dir. Bobbie Koek, prods. Fixy, A Private View
Peaches Goes Bananas (Fr-Bel) dir. Marie Losier, prods. Tamara Films, Michigan Films
The Doctor Says I’ll Be Alright But I’m Feeling Blue – working title (Ger) dir. Mascha Schilinksi, prods. Studio Zentral, ZDF
The Swedish Torpedo (Swe-Est-Fin-Bel) dir. Frida Kempff, prods. Momento Film, Amrion, Inland Film Company, Velvet Films
Toxic (Lith) dir. Saule Bliuvaite, prod. Akis Bado
U Are The Universe (Ukr-Bel) dir. Pavlo Ostrikov, prods. ForeFilms, Stenola
Wind, Talk To Me (Ser-Cro-Slovenia) dir. Stefan Djordjevic, prods. Non-Aligned Films, Katunga, Restart, Spok Film
Year Of The Widow (Cze-Slovenia-Cro) dir. Veronkia Liskova, prods. Cinemotif Films, Kerekesfilm, Pipser
Zion (Fr) dir. Nelson Foix, prods. De L’autre Cote Du Periph, Kissfilms
Young Hearts (Bel-Neth) dir. Anthony Schatterman, prods. Polar Bear, Family Affair Films – out of competition
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