First Teaser to Mavka. The Forest Song to Be Premiered in Annecy

The European premiere of the first teaser to animation feature Mavka. The Forest Song will take place on June 15 at MIFA, the biggest global market of animation content traditionally held under the aegis of Annecy International Animation Festival.  

On June 15 at 5 PM, 4D.05 stand presenting Ukrainian animation industry will host a gathering of major global television holdings, distributors, investors, buyers and producers; they will be the first to see the teaser to Mavka. The Forest Song animation feature. Animagrad and FILM.UA Group are the ones responsible for its development, and the release is scheduled for 2019.  

In the teaser, the cartoon authors will present the film’s protagonist, the forest’s heart and keeper Mavka; her friend and helper, funny Swampy; they will invite the audience to the forest world and the secret clearing where the magic Willow grows – this is what Mavka keeps safe from humans. A range of visuals for the film will be demonstrated: the magic tattoos Mavka’s face and hands are covered in; the beautiful outfit created for the forest nymph by the film’s costume designer Olga Navrotskaya; and many other original finds. Specially for the cartoon, the globally renowned Ukrainian musicians from DakhaBrakha band wrote the main music theme, which will also be featured in the teaser.

The official part of the evening will be followed by a cocktail party; the guests will then be able not only to talk to the film producers – Iryna Kostyuk, Egor Olesov, and Anna Eliseeva; the trio will also hand out unique gifts, namely authentic Ukrainian wreaths made of real flowers, and temporary tattoos just like the ones adorning Mavka in the cartoon. Before, they were presented at Cartoon 360 pitching in Barcelona as one of the accompanying AR products. The tattoos have been made using augmented reality technology; with the help of a smartphone app they come alive and transform into nature forces right on the screen. They were developed specially for this project by Signal Red production house.

The international festival in Annecy has been around for more than half a century. During this time, it has become an iconic event in the animation world, and the festival Grand Prix, Cristal d’Annecy, is now equal in its importance to an Academy Award. Under its brand, the festival hosts the famous MIFA animation market and a range of other important industry events. This year, Women in Animation global summit is launched in the framework of the festival, The Walt Disney Studios being its main sponsor. The summit organizers invited Iryna Kostyuk, producer of Mavka. The Forest Song cartoon, to participate in this event as well.   

The national premiere of animated film teaser will take place during the summer film market at Odessa International Film Festival; afterwards, it will be published on the project’s official pages and shown in the country’s cinemas.  

Media Resources Management is the company responsible for submitting Mavka. The Forest Song and Mom Hurries Home to these and other events.

FYI: Mavka: The Forest Song is a full-length animated feature produced by Ukraine-based Animagrad (FILM.UA Group). It is currently at the concept stage of development. The film is inspired by a play of the same name by Lesya Ukrainka, as well as by various Ukrainian legends and cultural traditions. The film’s production crew includes experts from leading ethnography institutes: the Ukrainian Studies Center at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, the Ivan Honchar Museum, and the Ukrainian Fashion Museum. The experts are there to ensure the authenticity of the Ukrainian myths and legends, religious beliefs, rituals, and visual culture translated into the singular animated world of Mavka. And the world-renowned group DakhaBrakha has already committed to creating the film’s soundtrack.In September 2016, the animated feature Mavka: The Forest Song won the ninth contest held by the Ukrainian State Film Agency and was awarded state financing in the amount of 30% of the film’s total budget. Mavka: The Forest Song is scheduled for release in Ukraine in 2019.