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The Feature Competition nomination of the 14th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival features a film titled The Nest of the Turtledove by Ukrainian filmmaker Taras Tkachenko. The film tells the story of Ukrainian women who left for foreign countries to find a job.

At a news conference in Yerevan, Armenia on Friday, the film director said that the actor of one of the leading characters of the film died during its shootings. Until now, his cause of death has not revealed, with the possible reason remaining an accident.

“We were forced to alter the film scenario. In my opinion, the current film ending is more interesting than the pre-planned one,” he noted.

Asked how he managed to involve Rima Zubina, one of the most occupied and demanded actresses of Ukraine, in his film, Tkachenko said that Zubina is famous, however he dismissed the news that the actress is very busy.

The director noted that the film features heroes who are still thinking about returning their homeland, with some others having cut their ties with their native land and roots to avoid emotional pain.

The director stated that the contemporary Ukrainian cinema lacks experience.

“The new wave of Ukrainian films must be interesting,” Mr. Tkachenko said, adding that films on modern topics and about contemporary people should be shot more, instead of the historical films.

“I am glad that the films shot at present are about our contemporaries. It means that we are interesting to ourselves. If we are interesting to ourselves, it means we are becoming interesting to the world,” the filmmaker noted.

About the film

It is a story that resonates for a generation of Ukrainian women - working in a foreign land to build a better future for their family back home. However, where there may be financial rewards, the personal costs may be high. Ukrainian woman, Darynka is returning home after several years working in Italy. She left for Italy to find work to support her family in Bukovina in the central Eastern Carpathians of Ukraine. That work involves taking care of a wealthy Italian lawyer and his elderly mother. It is a lonely existence, she is totally dependent on her employers, the elderly woman treats her with disdain and the work is round the clock. The money offers her family an opportunity to escape the otherwise grinding poverty that would have marked their lives. It funds a new house, destined to be accommodation for visitors to this part of the Carpathian Mountains, her husband is building it, however he is doing it casually and slowly. However, while she was earning money abroad her family…