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The opening film and the closing film of the 10th Odesa International Film Festival have been announced

The opening film of the 10th Anniversary Odesa International Film Festival will be French picture La Belle Epoque with Fanny Ardant, Daniel Auteuil and Guillaume Canet, and the closing film of the OIFF will be God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya, one of the 69th Berlinale hits

The film La Belle Epoque by French director Nicolas Bedos opens Anniversary 10^th Odesa International Film Festival. The film, which loud premiere took place at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, tells about Victor, a man who is already sixty. His life turned upside down on the day when his wife is cheating on him with family friend. At the same time, Victor learns about the new entertainment: using historical reconstruction the company offers its clients a chance to dive back into the era of their choice. Victor then chose to relive the most memorable week of his life: the one where, 40 years earlier, he met the great love. The leading roles in the film were performed by Daniel Auteuil, Guillaume Canet and Fanny Ardant. The picture was very warmly received by the Cannes public and film critics.

Nicolas Bedos, the director of the film, first healed himself glory with television appearances and columns in the press, but he received a general recognition through writing and theatrical directing. Twice nominated for the Moliere Award, he had staged four performances. In addition, he wrote scripts for a number of television and full-length films. Three novels by Nicolas Bedos have also become successful. La Tête Ailleurs, the last of them, has been sold out in 120,000 of copies printed.

The film will be shown on July 12th, in the opening day of the 10th OIFF.

The 10th Odesa International Film Festival will be closed by film God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya, which participated in the main competition of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film by the Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the German Art House Cinema Association.

The film, based on real events that took place several years in the east of Macedonia, tells about Shtip town and the ancient tradition. Every year in January a local priest throws a wooden cross into the river, which is then searched by hundreds of men. Good luck and prosperity will be for those who find it. This time Petrunya somehow manages to get into the water and take the cross first. Her rivals become crazy - how could a woman take part in their rite? Everything seems to go head over heels, but Petrunya stands on her own. She got the cross and is not going to give it away.

When Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska was as a child, she had already tried to act as an actress, studied art and graphic design, and then studied at a Master's cinema program at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She shot 5 full-length and one short film. Her film I am from Titov Veles was featured at more than 80 festivals around the world and won more than two dozen awards. She manages Sisters and Brother Mitevski Production together with brother Vuk and sister Labina.

The closing film will be shown on the last day of Odesa International Film Festival on July 20th.