Animated film 'Kyiv Cake' wins best short animation award in Riga

TALLINN – The short animation "Kyiv Cake," a co-production between Estonian studio Joonisfilm and Ukrainian director Mykyta Lyskov, won the award for best short animation on Wednesday evening at the 30th Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS.

This significant recognition from the neighboring country comes at a time when the film has been nominated for the Estonian Film and Television Awards and submitted as a candidate for a European Film Awards nomination, placing it among the top fifteen short films.

"As a film director, the audience's reaction is extremely important to me, and I am deeply grateful to the Estonian state, whose support made it possible for this story to be created and to achieve both domestic and international recognition," said Lyskov. He added that the recent award from Riga, the nomination for the Estonian Film and Television Awards, and a place on the European Film Awards shortlist are a significant confirmation that the Ukrainian narrative and its reality resonate beyond its borders.

According to the film's producer, Kalev Tamm, the work's strong social message resonates with audiences regardless of their location. "'Kyiv Cake's' theme is human and touches on sensitive issues common to both Ukraine and Estonia, and indeed everywhere the economic situation is so bleak that many people are forced to go abroad as migrant workers to make ends meet."

"On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with its occupation forces, and a full-scale war began, which added a new tragic dimension to the daily lives of Ukrainian families and puts the film's characters' trials into an even sharper perspective."

"Kyiv Cake" was created on the initiative of the Estonian production company Joonisfilm as a support project for Ukraine. The film was produced in Estonia, based exclusively on online communication with the director Lyskov, who lives in Dnipro. The work is a simultaneously surreal, absurd, and tragic glimpse into a society struck by a blow of fate in the midst of its daily struggles.

Previously, "Kyiv Cake" has won the Grand Prix at the Kyiv International Short Film Festival (KISFF) and has participated in major international festivals such as PÖFF Shorts, Clermont-Ferrand, Ottawa, and DOK Leipzig.

The film was made with the support of the Estonian Film Institute and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.