23-11-2023

EURIMAGES INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION AWARD for producer Uljana Kim

    Eurimages and the European Film Academy have the pleasure to award producer Uljana Kim with this years’ EURIMAGES INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION AWARD. Uljana Kim, born in 1969 in a Korean family in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, graduated from the Institute of Cinematography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic by education. She emigrated to Lithuania, where she founded Studio Uljana Kim in 1997. At that time, she was the first female producer in Lithuania.

    Uljana Kim, credit: Lukas Balandis / BNSSince then, the Vilnius-based production and distribution company has produced 34 feature and documentary films. Most of them premiered at the most important international film festivals and others were successful at the domestic box office. The company aims to produce and co-produce high quality art-house films intended for a worldwide audience. Studio Uljana Kim is one of Lithuania’s leading companies for producing full-length features.

    The award goes to Uljana Kim “to mark her outstanding commitment to co-production and the strong co-producing partnerships she has built up over the years. It is also an acknowledgement of the excellent track record of her company in the competitive arena of the Eurimages co-production support programme.”
     
    The EURIMAGES INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION AWARD is presented by the European Film Academy in co-operation with Eurimages, the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe. It acknowledges the decisive role of co-productions in fostering international exchange.
     
    The company’s films include COURTYARD (KIEMAS) by Valdas Navasaitis, premiering at the International Film Festival in Cannes at the "Director’s Fortnight” in 1999, THE LEASE (NUOMOS SUTARTIS) by Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, premiering at Venice International Film Festival in 2002, YOU AM I (AŠ ESI TU) by Kristijonas Vildžiūnas premiering at "Un Certain Regard" in Cannes in 2006, THE GAMBLER (LOŠĖJAS) by Ignas Jonynas, premiering at San Sebastian International Film Festival in 2013, MARIUPOLIS by Mantas Kvedaravičius, premiering at Berlinale’s "Panorama Dokumente" section in 2016, PARTHENON (PARTENONAS) by Mantas Kvedaravičius, premiereing at Venice Critics Week in 2019, MOTHERLAND (GIMTINĖ) by Tomas Vengris, premiering at Busan International Film Festival in 2019, FEATURE FILM ABOUT LIFE (ILGO METRO FILMAS APIE GYVENIMA) by Dovilė Šarutytė, premiering in 2021 at Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival, MR. LANDSBERGIS (MR. LANDSBERGIS. SUGRIAUTI BLOGIO IMPERIJA) by Sergei Loznitsa, premiering in 2021 at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam, PROLOGOS by Mantas Kvedaravičius premiering in 2022 at Locarno Film Festival, MARIUPOLIS 2 by Mantas Kvedaravičius premiering at Cannes International Film Festival in 2022 and FIVE AND A HALF LOVE STORIES IN AN APARTMENT IN VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (5 ½ MEILĖS ISTORIJOS VIENAME VILNIAUS BUTE) by Tomas Vengris, premiering in 2023 at Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival.
     
    As minor co-producer Studio Uljana Kim produced feature films such as A GENTLE CREATURE by Sergei Loznitsa (2017), ETHER by Krzysztof Zanussi (2018) as well as THE NATURAL HISTORY OF DESTRUCTION by Sergei Loznitsa (2022).
     
    Uljana Kim has co-produced ten films with Eurimages’ support, six of which as a majority producer. Among the supported co-productions are THE GAMBLER, A GENTLE CREATURE and THE NATURAL HISTORY OF DESTRUCTION, MOTHERLAND and more recently FIVE AND A HALF LOVE STORIES IN AN APARTMENT IN VILNIUS.
     
    Uljana Kim will be an honorary guest of the gala for the 36th European Film Awards on 9 December in Berlin to receive her award in person.
    The European Film Awards honour the greatest achievements in European cinema. The ceremony of the European Film Awards – the most renowned and prestigious award for European film – is presented by the European Film Academy and European Film Academy Productions.

    About the European Film Academy
    The European Film Academy seeks to support and connect its 4,600 members and celebrates and promotes their work. Its aims are to share knowledge and to educate audiences of all ages about European cinema. Positioning itself as a leading organization and facilitating crucial debates within the industry, the Academy strives to unite everyone who loves European cinema, culminating annually in the Month of European Film and the European Film Awards, by including European film heritage in its portfolio and by expanding its focus on young audiences through the European Film Club. www.europeanfilmacademy.org
     
    About Eurimages
    Active since 1989, Eurimages was established as a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages co-operation between professionals established in different countries.