Anna

 

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Dekel Berenson - Anna Short Film Cannes 2019

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Genre: Drama
Running Time: 15’
Aspect Ratio: 1:2.39
Screening Formats: 2K 5.1 DCP, 35 mm print (French subs), ProRes.
Sound: 5.1 or Stereo.
Shot on Arri Alexa, 24p, original format 2.8K
Language: Ukrainian, English.
Subtitles: English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Hebrew, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Arabic.

 

Logline

Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine Anna is an aging single mother who is desperate for a change. Lured by a radio advertisement, she goes to party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love.

ANNA was shortlisted for a BAFTA, and won Best British Short at the 22nd British Independent Film Awards. It was nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.


Synopsis

Anna, a middle-aged single mother, lives in a small industrial town in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. She works in a meat processing plant, lives in a rundown apartment and dreams for a better life for herself and her 16-year-old daughter.

Desperate for a change, she is lured by a radio advertisement to attend a party organized for foreign men who are touring the country, searching for love. Despite not having been out for years she decides to take part in the event.

At the party, Anna is confronted with the realities of old age, with the American men's real intentions, and by her underaged daughter who is also attending the event. Both mother and daughter realize the absurdity and indignity of the situation and abandon their dream for a better life.

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Anna Dekel Berenson For Your Consideration
 
 
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Dekel Berenson Anna
 
 

Director's Statement

I first visited Ukraine in 2012, while traveling across Europe in a van. It was an important step for me personally as my grandmother was born in Khust, a small Ukrainian border town. She witnessed how Ukraine, like the rest of Eastern Europe became a part of the USSR, and then later gained its independence, which is now once again threatened. When I went, I was fascinated by the mixture of Eastern and Western traditions, by the people, and was heartbroken by Ukraine's poverty and the rampant corruption that plagues its institutions.

In the nightclubs of Odessa, on a hot summer evening, I witnessed events similar to the ones depicted in Anna. These clubs are notorious for being hot spots for the type of men and women who seek others while harboring secret agendas. The men ogle women as if they were the pieces of meat hanging in Anna's workplace.

The men, hoping to take advantage of the women's despair and desire to move abroad, try to seduce them with promises of a possible relationship. The women in turn, make promises of their own. So, each side attempts to take advantage of the other and more often than not fails at it but then returns the next evening for more of the same. For underneath the cynicism and objectification there is the driving force of hope, that on one of these evenings an interaction will lead to something deeper and more meaningful - a real connection based on genuine feelings, a relationship that will lead to a better life.

After observing what went on at the nightclubs of Odessa I discovered the existence of the “love tours” that are depicted in Anna and found the subject compelling enough to return to Ukraine six years after my original visit, and capture it on film. In Anna the backdrop is wintry and cold, but regardless of a country's regions everyone ultimately harbors dreams and aspirations. These international dating events, which have been organized since the fall of the Iron Curtain, continue to take place, with groups arriving in Ukraine many times a year. The mass parties in which men are usually outnumbered 1 to 10, now take place almost exclusively in East Ukraine, the industrial and more impoverished part of the country.

Ironically, Svetlana Barandich who portrays Anna, participated in such an event more than 20 years ago. And, an actress that we auditioned for the role of the translator told us that she was recently hired as a translator for one of these events. She said that, similarly to the corresponding scene in Anna, she would make up conversations and that “All men and women were always Leo,” for it was the only astrological sign for which she knew the English word.

This is an important story of hope and despair, one which I have attempted to capture as authentically as I could.


 
 
Dekel Berenson

Dekel Berenson - Director

Dekel Berenson is an award winning Israeli writer, director, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Drawing inspiration from traveling to more than sixty countries, Dekel explores real-world social and humanitarian issues. His short film Anna premiered in Competition at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, won the Best British Short award at the 22nd BIFA awards and was shortlisted for a BAFTA. His short film Ashmina won numerous prizes, including Best Short Film at the 59th Krakow Film Festival and Best Live Action Short at the 36th Jerusalem Film Festival, qualifying the film for Academy Awards consideration twice.


 

Svetlana Alekseevna Barandich - Anna

Svetlana is a professional theater and film actress who began acting at 17. In 1985 she graduated from the theater and drama studio at the Kiev National Academic Drama Theater. From there she worked in a number of theaters in the Ukraine and Kiev until in 1995 she received a degree in theater studies at the Institute of Theater Arts. Since the 2000's she has actively been filmed in television and in commercials.

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Vova Ivanov - Director of Photography

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Based in Berlin. Graduated in 2007 from the Kiev State University of theatrical art, television and filmmaking, specializing in Cinematographer. Became member of the Ukrainian National Union of cinematographers since 2010. In 2018 graduated from the Konrad Wolf Film University Babelsberg, with a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography. As a Director of Photography since 2006 completed 19 feature and TV feature films, over 70 commercials, music videos, and short films.

Cast & Crew

Dima Konoplov - Executive Producer

Dima Konoplov - Executive Producer

Olga Maksiuk - Line Producer

Olga Maksiuk - Line Producer

Pavel Nikituk - Casting Assistant

Pavel Nikituk - Casting Assistant

Alla Leonova - Make Up

Alla Leonova - Make Up

Dima Amelichev - Gaffer

Dima Amelichev - Gaffer

Alexandra Klimovich - Wardrobe

Alexandra Klimovich - Wardrobe

Igor Klimovich - Wardrobe

Igor Klimovich - Wardrobe

Janina Kucher - 1st Assistant Director

Janina Kucher - 1st Assistant Director

Liana Khobelia - Party Organiser

Liana Khobelia - Party Organiser

Tasia Pleshivtseva - Casting Assistant

Tasia Pleshivtseva - Casting Assistant

Andrii Nidzelskyi - Sound Designer

Andrii Nidzelskyi - Sound Designer

Elenka Stefirta - Behind the scenes photography

Elenka Stefirta - Behind the scenes photography

Alexandr Pakholok - 1st Assistant Camera

Alexandr Pakholok - 1st Assistant Camera

Anastasia Vyazovskaya - Alina

Anastasia Vyazovskaya - Alina

Eric R.Gilliat - Eric

Eric R.Gilliat - Eric

Kara Baleyan - Art Director

Kara Baleyan - Art Director

Pavlo Levitskiy - Drunk Man

Pavlo Levitskiy - Drunk Man

Anna Salieva - Location Manager

Anna Salieva - Location Manager

Sergey Solovyov - Dima

Sergey Solovyov - Dima

Vova Olejnik - Steadicam Operator

Vova Olejnik - Steadicam Operator

Istan Rozumny - Ian

Istan Rozumny - Ian


Credits

 

Anna - Svetlana Barandich
Alina - Anastasia Vyazovskaya
Eric - Eric R. Gilliatt
Translator - Alina Chornogub
Party Organiser - Liana Khobelia
Ian - Istan Rozumny
Drunk Man - Pavel Levitsky

NOTE: Merlin Merton and Alex Chang did NOT produce ANNA in any shape or form. They were not involved in the production of this film but were only credited as Producers to help with festival submissions.
Writer & Director - Dekel Berenson
Director of Photography - Vova Ivanov
Producers - Vitaliy Shermetiev,
Olga Beskhmelnytsina, Dekel Berenson.
Executive Producers - Andrew Carlberg, Natalia Libet, Anna Rozalska, Kasia Neiman, Elad Keidan, Dima Konoplov.

Line Producer - Olga Maksiuk
First Assistant Director - Janina Kucher, Andrej Krutij

Second Assistant Director - Elena Brazhnik
Third Assistant Director - Lera Ruban

Casting Director - Alla Samoylenko
Assistant Casting Director - Pasha Nikitiuk, Anastasija Gusar, Tasia, Pleshivtseva

First Assistant Camera - Sasha Paholok
Gaffer - Dima Amelichev
Sparks - Dmitrij Levchenko,
Valerij Klapchenko

Art Director - Kara Baleyan
Assistant Art Director - Sergej Shishkin
Costum Designer - Sasha Klimovich
Costume Assistant - Igor Klimovich
Costume - Karolina Shermeta
Make-up - Alla Leonova, Svetlana Polikashkina
Digital Image Technician - Yaroslav Nemoj
Steadicam Operator - Vova Olejnik
Dolly Grip - Alexandr Posvyaschnnij
Location Managers - Anna Salieva, Julija Degnera


Assistants - Evgenij Brazhnik, Denis Zinchenko,
Vlad Zaharov, Roman Koldij

Editor - Yegor Troyanovsky
Post-production Supervisor - Charlotte Stade
Colorist -Dmitry Vasylenko
Sound Designer - Andrii Nidzelskyi
Sound Mixing - Andrii Rohachov
Music Supervisor - Yaroslav Lodygin
Script Advisor - Marta Parlatore

Background Artists:

Yuri Morenko, Joe Krapek, Peter Pain, Joseph Harrison, Dmitriy Durnev, James Martin, Valery Kovalenko, Pavel Kovalsky, Pavel kucherov, Daria Batoska, Vsevolod Tsymbal, Alex shutiy, Anatoly Oleinik, Igor Bukhaltsev, Anatoly Shyshko, Viktoria Boiko, Kristina Gredneva, Vladimir Bebeshko.

 
 

The director wishes to thank:

Charlotte Stade, Alexey Zgonik, Denis Ivanov, Igor Savychenko, Yulia Konoplyova, Olena Savchenko, Igor Ryzhkov, Toby Fell Holden, Judith Mandy, Dominic Davey, Andrew Krakower, Ben Nisman, Angeli Macfarlane, Shalom Eizenbach, Patrick Campbell, Patrick Ewald, Gitit Wainer-Arie, Adar Shafran, Vered Heller, Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly, The Haifa Film Festival, Adi Cohen, Jordi Rediu, Anna Ilnitskaya, Maryana Golovko.

With special thanks to:

Film Industry Association of Ukraine, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Film London, Ukrainian Film State Agency and International Renaissance Foundation.