German distributor Koch Films has snagged rights to the upcoming animated feature Mavka. The Forest Song from Ukraine’s Animagrad studio (FILM.UA Group). The agreement covers theatrical release rights in Germany and in German-speaking countries. The film is expected to premiere in 2020.
The Koch Films is the latest in a number of major international presales for the project, which launched for buyers at the 2018 Marché du Film in Cannes. Partners include Italia Film International — a sub-distributor for Disney in MENA, Monolith Films (Poland), Cinemart (Czech Republic, Slovakia), ACME FIlm (Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania), Cinemundo (Portugal), Vertical (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria) and Blitz (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro).
“This so significant for us, and there is even some kind of tradition in making deals on Mavka. The Forest Song sales at the Cannes Film Market. That is why the agreement with Koch Films is a big step up for our project. This is a bright start of the 60th jubilee film market, and we are looking forward to new successful deals, as Mavka. The Forest Song animated feature is one of the headliners on the FILM.UA Group booth,” said Yevhen Drachov, FILM.UA distribution manager.
Currently in production, Mavka is the second feature film from Animagrad (The Stolen Princess). The movie is based on the play The Forest Song by Lesia Ukrainka, incorporating traditional Ukrainian myths and lore. The titular character, Mavka, is a tender but protective guardian spirit of the forest, tasked with protecting its sacred Heart. When she falls in love with a musically gifted farm boy, an avaricious foe sees a chance to capture the Heart of the Forest.
Animagrad has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund on the project to consult its Ukrainian experts on the native flora and fauna of the Polissya region and raise awareness of environmental issues in the country and around the world. The filmmakers have also tapped the expertise of leading national ethnographic institutions such as the Department of Folklore Studies at the National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, the Ivan Honchar Museum and the Ukrainian Fashion History Museum. The world famous Ukrainian music group, DakhaBrakha, are contributing to the original soundtrack.
In 2016, Mavka. The Forest Song won the 9th State Film Agency of Ukraine competition and received state financing of 30% of the total budget.
Learn more at mavka.ua/en.
