The Union of the Ukrainian Film Critics Jury to Evaluate the Festival’s Competition Program

The festival is taking a new step in its development — this year, the four competition sections of the 6th edition of the OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival will be evaluated by an independent parallel jury of the Union of the Ukrainian Film Critics (UUFC).

The UUFC jury at the OKO Film Festival includes:

Alexandr Gusev — film critic, festival programmer, and columnist for Ukrinform and Yabl. Program Director of the Euregion Film Forum and SHIFT Film Festival. Member of the Ukrainian Film Academy, the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). Board member of the Union of the Ukrainian Film Critics.

Liudmyla Novikova — film critic, art historian, and festival organizer. Since 2023, she has chaired the Department of Producing, Audiovisual Arts, and Production at the I. K. Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television in Kyiv. Since 2008, she has worked as a research associate in the Department of Screen and Stage Performing Arts and Cultural Studies at the M. T. Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. From 2000 to 2008, she headed the program department of the Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist. Member of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).

Yaroslav Pidhora-Gvyazdovsky — Journalist, film critic, and screenwriter. He worked as a press attaché at the State Film Agency of Ukraine, served as editor of the “Cinema” section of Sho magazine, and was editor-in-chief of Kino Digest and the Ukrainian edition of the international magazine Total Film. Member of the Ukrainian Film Academy and the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine. Veteran, reserve captain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The UUFC jury will select its favorite films in all competition sections, and in addition, each jury member will have the opportunity to give a personal special award to one of the films. The winners will be announced in October at the closing ceremony of OKO in Sofia, Bulgaria.

As a reminder, the Union of the Ukrainian Film Critics is a Ukrainian non-profit public organization established in 2018. It brings together film critics, film scholars, and film journalists with the aim of consolidating Ukraine’s community of film critics, as well as promoting and developing film culture in the country. The UUFC is also the organizer of the National Film Critics Award “Kinokolo.” The UUFC jury participates in many Ukrainian film festivals, recognizing achievements in the art of cinema with its awards.