New Europe Film Sales to Sell ‘Stepne,’ from Cannes Palme d’Or Winner Maryna Vroda (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comJohn Hopewell Chief International Correspondent New Europe Film Sales is set to launch international sales on “Stepne,”the debut feature of Ukraine’s Maryna Vroda, a best short Cannes Palme d’Or winner, which was announced this July 5 morning as part of Locarno’s main International Competition.
Born in Kyiv, Vroda won a Palme d’Or in 2011 for her short “Cross Country” (“Kross”), a seemingly allegorical psychological drama about a boy who is forced to run, then does so willingly, ending up watching his classmates running a senseless cross-country race as a boy rolls in a transparent ball in a river. “Kross” was inspired by Vroda’s memories of physical education lessons. “Stepne” is equally personal, coming to Vroda when her grandparents died.
In it, a middle-aged man travels to his family home to care for his dying mother. He meets his brother and a woman he loves and thinks back to his life choices such as leaving to live in a big city.
Then, just before dying, her mother tells her about a treasure she’s buried in the shed. Written by Vroda and Kirill Schuvalov, and lensed by Andrii Lysetskyi, “Stepne” won a Ukrainian Films Now project showcase at the 2022 Cannes Marche du Film.
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