"Mavka"/Film.UA Group
The Ukrainian company Film.UA Group is currently developing a feature film in which the characters of the cartoon “Mavka. Forest Song” will appear in a new interpretation.
According to the plan of the producers, the film will immerse the audience even deeper in Ukrainian folklore, offering a more “complex” image of mythological characters. This was announced by the project managers in an exclusive interview with the American publication Variety.
“Mavka” was immediately planned as multi-platform and cross-media. Animation was just the beginning. We want all fans to continue to be satisfied and attract new ones, – said producer Anna Eliseyeva, confirming that the new film will be different.
Iryna Kostyuk, who is producing the new work together with Eliseeva, added that filming in Ukraine, which is currently undergoing destruction from a full-scale Russian invasion, is “a really big challenge”, but local filmmakers have learned to adapt.
Our main and most important mission in creating an animated film was the export of Ukrainian culture. We wanted a global audience to learn about our great nation and its unique identity. This is exactly what Putin wants to destroy: he wants to deny Ukraine's identity. That is why we are here, at the forefront of culture, she said.
The plot of the new “Mavka” will feature scarier, thriller elements, but there will also be a more “intense” development of a love affair. In the center of the story is the romance between Mavka and the biologist Lukyan, who accidentally meets her in the forest. As their relationship blossoms, they have to overcome the difficulties of love amid dark forces that threaten to tear them apart.
According to Iryna Kostyuk, an animated series based on “Mavka” is being developed in partnership with the French company TeamTo. >, and it will also feature more dramatic versions of Ukrainian legends, and two horror films are in the works.
“Mavka”/Film.UA Group
The first of these films – “Witches. Revenge” – is already at the post-production stage, its release is scheduled for the fall of 2023. Next up is the horror film Damby, in which a female soldier with the call sign Mara – after the goddess who rules the world of the dead – battles an even greater evil: Soviet zombies sealed in a post-Cold War bunker. One day, Mara may even meet the Witch.
We remind you that the cartoon “Mavka. Forest Song” was released on March 2. For ten weeks, the film's box office collections amounted to UAH 143,930,311. The film's world tour reached a total of 148 countries, bringing in a total of over $21 million.