Ayka

Ayka (Russian: Айка) is a 2018 drama film directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2] At Cannes, Samal Yeslyamova won the award for Best Actress.[3] It was selected as the Kazakhstani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards,[4][5][6] making the December shortlist.[7] The film was produced under the working title My Little One.

For other uses, see Aika (disambiguation).

Ayka
Film poster
Directed bySergey Dvortsevoy
Written by
  • Sergey Dvortsevoy
  • Gennadiy Ostrovskiy
Produced by
  • Sergey Dvortsevoy
  • Anna Wydra
  • Thanassis Karathanos
  • Martin Hampel
  • Gulnara Sarsenova
  • Michel Merkt
Starring
CinematographyJolanta Dylewska
Release date
  • 18 May 2018 (2018-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time
100 minutes
Countries
  • Russia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • China
  • Kazakhstan
Languages
  • Kyrgyz
  • Russian

Plot

The story is centered around a young Kyrgyz woman named Ayka who lives in Moscow, Russia. After giving birth to a baby, she abandons the newborn, escaping through a hospital window. She is desperate for income, as she owes money to criminals but now struggles to repay the debt. She returns to a job plucking chicken feathers. After the work is done, the men running the operation leave without paying their workers. Trying to regain another previous job, Ayka finds that she has been permanently replaced while in labor. With her work permit expired and pain and complications from the pregnancy, it is nearly impossible for her to find or keep another employment. Ayka finally gets a part-time job as a cleaner at the veterinary clinic.

Debt collectors find her and demand she return their money, threatening to torture her sister back in Kyrgyzstan. She confesses to them about the recent birth of a son, saying that she became pregnant as a result of rape. They offer to take her child in order to settle her debts.

Cast
  • Samal Yeslyamova as Ayka
  • Polina Severnaya as the hospital administrator
  • Andrey Kolyadov as Victor, the chief

Reception

Critical response

Ayka has an approval rating of 82% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10.[8]

Awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cannes Film Festival May 19, 2018 Palme d'Or Sergey Dvortsevoy Nominated [9]
Best Actress Samal Yeslyamova Won [10]
Asian Film Awards March 17, 2019 Best Actress Won [11]
Russian Guild of Film Critics January 22, 2020 Best Film Sergey Dvortsevoy Nominated [12]
Best Director Nominated
Best Actress Samal Yeslyamova Nominated
Best Cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska Nominated
Nika Award April 25, 2021 Best Film Sergey Dvortsevoy Nominated [13]
[14]
Best Director Nominated
Best Actress Samal Yeslyamova Won[lower-alpha 1]
Best Screenplay
  • Sergey Dvortsevoy
  • Gennadiy Ostrovskiy
 Nominated
Best Film Editing Petar Markovic Won

See also

Notes
  1. Tied with Viktoria Miroshnichenko for Beanpole

References
  1. "The 2018 Official Selection". Cannes. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  2. "Cannes Adds Lars von Trier's 'The House That Jack Built,' Sets Terry Gilliam's 'Don Quixote' as Closer". Variety. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. Debruge, Peter (19 May 2018). "2018 Cannes Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Variety. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  4. "87 Countries In Competition for 2018 Foreign Language Film Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  5. Kilday, Gregg (8 October 2018). "Oscars: 87 Countries Submit Films in Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  6. "Film Ayka about migrant woman from Kyrgyzstan enters Oscar long-list". Kabar News Agency. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  7. "Academy Unveils 2019 Oscar Shortlists". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  8. "Ayka". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  9. "71st Cannes Film Festival – Competition". Festival De Cannes. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  10. "71st Cannes Film Festival – Winners". Festival De Cannes. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  11. Chow, Vivienne (17 March 2019). "'Shoplifters' Wins Best Picture at Asian Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  12. "2019" (in Russian). Russian Guild of Film Critics. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  13. "Лауреаты XXXIV НИКИ" (in Russian). Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  14. "Номинанты "НИКА-33"" (in Russian). Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
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