A short film by Ukrainian director Maria Ponomareva, “Patronymic,” has been selected for the TIFF Short Cuts competition at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. It will have its world premiere there.
“Patronymic” is the only Ukrainian film to be selected for the Short Cuts competition this year. The film was created in cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands.
“Patronymic” is the autobiographical story of Maria Ponomareva, who has lived abroad for over ten years but regularly returns to Ukraine. The plot centers on the search for the lost part of her name, her patronymic “Volodymyrivna,” which disappeared from international documents without her knowledge.
The film combines documentary footage, archival materials, official documents, the author’s voice-over, and dramatic reconstructions of events in a night train compartment.
