Ukrainian writer to judge films at Berlinale 2024
3 February 2024 17:00
Writer Oksana Zabuzhko has joined the jury of the main competition of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, reports 
with reference to the press service of the film festival.
Oksana Zabuzhko has published more than 20 books, including poetry, prose and journalism. She studied philosophy at Kyiv University and received her doctorate from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, and then taught as a visiting professor at universities in the United States: Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh and Harvard. Her works have been translated into many languages.
This is the second time in the history of the festival that a representative of Ukraine has been a member of the main jury– in 2005, it was the writer Andriy Kurkov. In 2023, director Kateryna Hornostai was a member of the jury in the Generation 14plus category.
In addition to Zabuzhko, the winners will also be determined:
- Lupita Nyong‘o, an acclaimed actress, director, producer and writer, who chairs the jury;
- Brady Corbet, an actor and director from the United States;
- En Hui, a film director from Hong Kong, China;
- Christian Petzold, a German film director;
- Albert Serra, a film director from Spain;
- Jasmine Trinca, Italian actress and director.
An international jury will determine the winners of prestigious awards such as the Golden Bear and Silver Bear in the categories of Best Director, Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Outstanding Artistic Contribution.
This year, 20 films are competing for the awards. The Berlinale festival will feature films by Ukrainian directors. One of them will be the world premiere of Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych, a film created in collaboration with Canada and France. The Panorama Documente programme will also screen A Bit of Stranger by Svitlana Leshchynska. Hlib Osatinsky’s short film The Grudge has also been selected for the festival. In addition, the world premiere of the Ukrainian film Editorial by Roman Bondarchuk is expected.
The winners will be announced on 24 February this year.
The Berlin International Film Festival is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, which has been held annually since 1951. “The Berlinale brings together international film stars and also discovers new talents.
