Ukrainian Sheriffs

Ukrainian Sheriffs (Ukrainian: Українські шерифи) is a 2015 Ukrainian documentary film directed by Roman Bondarchuk. It was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.

Ukrainian Sheriffs
Directed byRoman Bondarchuk
Written byRoman Bondarchuk
Produced byDaryna Averchenko
Uldis Sekulis
Edited byRoman Bondarchuk
Katerina Gornostay
Boris Peter
Music byAnton Baibakov
Release date
  • 20 November 2015 (2015-11-20) (IDFA)
Running time
88 minutes
CountriesUkraine
Latvia
Germany
LanguagesUkrainian
Russian

Synopsis

Due to a lack of police presence in the Ukrainian village of Stara Zburyivka, mayor Viktor Marunyak assigns the task of protecting the peace to two locals, Viktor Kryvoborodko, aged 50, and Volodymyr Rudkovsky, aged 44. Kryvoborodko and Rudkovsky's work combines the functions of police officers and social workers, as they are tasked with mediating disputes, but not with investigating criminal offenses. The beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014- ) changes their routine, however - village politics become divided, and the sheriffs are tasked with supporting the Ukrainian war-effort.

Production

Ukrainian Sheriffs was filmed over four years,[1] for a total of nearly 200 hours of footage. The first cut of the film was five hours in length and remained over two hours in length until its sixth cut.[2]

Distribution

Ukrainian Sheriffs began distribution throughout Europe in February 2016.[3] The film's premiere on German television took place on 4 April 2016 on the Franco-German channel Arte.[4] Distribution of the film in Ukraine began in July 2016 and then in the Baltics and Balkans in September.[3]

Reception

Ukrainian film critic Sergey Trimbach, writing for The Day, praised Ukrainian Sheriffs and described Marunyak, Kryvoborodko, and Rudkovsky as role models for Ukraine, and compared the latter two to American police officers.[5] Neil Young, in The Hollywood Reporter, described Ukrainian Sheriffs as "an episodic, wryly amusing affair, displaying considerable interest in and sympathy with human foibles."[6] Fionnuala Halligan, chief film critic at Screen Daily, also praised the film and predicted that it would do well at international film festivals.[7]

Accolades

The Ukrainian Association of Cinematographers (NSU) named Ukrainian Sheriffs the Best Ukrainian Non-Fiction Film of 2016 at the 2017 NSU awards ceremony.[8] It then added Ukrainian Sheriffs to a shortlist of submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 89th Academy Awards with The Nest of the Turtledove and Song of Songs.[9][10] Ukrainian Sheriffs was eventually chosen as Ukraine's submission for the category.[11][12]

The film won the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam's 2015 Special Jury Award.[13] It also won the Grand Prix at the Docs Against Gravity Festival in Poland, and appeared at a dozen other international film festivals.[11]

See also

References
  1. Oliynyk, Eugenia (11 December 2015). ""Українські шерифи": фільм про сільських волонтерів, які "замінили" міліцію" ["Ukrainian Sheriffs": a film about village volunteers who "replaced" the police]. Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  2. "Kill Your Darlings: Ukrainian Sheriffs". International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  3. Broeren-Huitenga, Joost (2 October 2017). "Bringing it Home: Sara Božanic about the innovative distribution of Ukrainian Sheriffs". International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  4. "Ukrainische Sheriffs" (in German). ARD. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. Trimbach, Sergey (23 September 2016). "Кіноновації та кіно надії" [Cinematic innovation and hopeful cinematography]. The Day (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  6. Young, Neil (7 December 2015). "'Ukrainian Sheriffs': IDFA Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  7. Halligan, Fionnuala (30 November 2015). "'Ukrainian Sheriffs': Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  8. "Оголошено переможців Премії НСКУ найкращим вітчизняним фільмам 2016 року" [The winners of the NSU Award for the best domestic films of 2016] (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Association of Cinematographers. 31 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  9. "Обрано три фільми-кандидати на "Оскар" від України". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  10. "На "Оскар" від України номінували фільм "Українські шерифи"" ["Ukrainian Sheriffs" nominated by Ukraine for the Oscars]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  11. "Oscars: Ukraine Selects 'Ukrainian Sheriffs' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. "Ukraine selects its candidate for foreign-language Oscar". Ukraine Today. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  13. "Ukrainian film awarded with Special Jury Prize at IDFA documentary festival". Ukraine Today. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
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