Festival of American cinema “Independence”
Festival of American cinema “Independence” (American Independent Film Festival in Ukraine) — is an international cultural project that presents to the Ukrainian audience the most interesting examples of contemporary independent American cinema and creates a platform for cultural dialogue between Ukraine and the USA.
The festival was founded in 2011 with the support of the Embassy of the USA in Ukraine with the aim of development of cultural exchange, popularization of independent cinematography and support of development of the Ukrainian film industry.
Over the years of its existence the festival took place in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Mariupol and other cities of Ukraine, gathering every year about 10 000 viewers.
The mission of the festival — is to present films that raise important social topics and reflect the values of contemporary society, and also to promote dialogue between filmmakers, viewers and cultural institutions. “Independence” — is more than just a film festival. It is a space for discussion of socially important issues that artists explore through the language of cinema.
The program of the festival includes feature and documentary films of independent American directors, many of which are participants or laureates of leading international film festivals — such as Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Berlinale, Cannes and Venice.
In addition to film screenings, the festival implements a wide educational program, which includes lectures, master classes, panel discussions and meetings with directors, producers and experts from the USA and Ukraine. These events are aimed at support of young filmmakers, students of film schools and representatives of creative industries.
An important part of the festival is a parallel discussion program dedicated to topics of human rights, gender equality, social justice and the role of culture in contemporary society. Such discussions create an opportunity for open dialogue between artists, activists, researchers and viewers.
The festival also implements educational initiatives for youth, among which are media education programs, workshops and creative laboratories that help young people to develop skills of storytelling, critical thinking and creation of their own audiovisual content.
In times of war and social challenges culture becomes an important tool of support, solidarity and international dialogue. The festival “Independence” continues to perform the role of a cultural bridge between Ukraine and the United States, uniting people through stories, values and the universal language of cinema.
Festival website – aiffua.com
