“Ukrainian Sheriffs” joined the most prestigious documentary festival in Europe in the Competition for Feature-Length and received IDFA Special Jury Prize.
“Ukrainian Sheriffs” (LV, UA, DE), produced by VFS Films, is the new documentary of “Euromaidan. Rough Cut” director Roman Bondarchuk. Wild and violent, awkward and funny, the documentary depicts a remote village in Ukraine, disturbed by everyday incidents and political developments. “Ukrainian Sheriffs” is a tragicomic portrait of the sheriff duo Viktor and Volodya, the smartest and the strongest, in charge of taking care of the public order.
IDFA Jury statement: “This film is a fascinating, humorous, and universal portrait of a community trying to handle the frustrations and quarrels of everyday life and keep the peace, proceeding with ingenuity, patience, and common sense. With a sharp feeling for character, the story shows how a remote outpost can be highly affected by larger circumstances, and meanwhile remain immune to them in other ways. Direction and cinematography are aligned with the episodic storytelling in a detailed depiction of a rustic milieu that is uncertainly poised between ancient customs and an encroaching war.”
“Ukrainian Sheriffs” was one of the 6 films brought to IDFA 2015 by DOK.Incubator, a workshop hosted by ANP. At DOK.Incubator, Bondarchuk spent half a year with top international editors, producers and audience building experts. The team worked with Oscar nominated Per K. Kirkegaard (“Armadillo”), 2015 Best Danish producer (IB Prize winner) Sigrid Dyekjaer, Autlook CEO Peter Jäger and top film publicist Freddy Neumann. Those experts were not only giving a precious feedback to the team but leading them throughout the whole postproduction process, in order to find the strongest way to tell their story and reveal it to the widest audience possible.
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