As reported by Variety, the Ukrainian company FILM.UA Group is currently creating a film based on the animated film «Mavka. The Forest Song». It was shown in 148 countries and grossed more than $21 million at the global box office.
According to the authors, the film version delves even deeper into Ukrainian folklore, offering a more complex portrayal of the mythological character.
«Mavka was always planned as a multi-platform, cross-media IP. Animation was just the beginning. We want to keep old fans happy and attract new ones… The plot and even the character will be different from the animation. «The Forest Song» is based on our mythology and on the work of Ukrainian poetess Lesya Ukrainka, but we had to rethink the character for a family audience. Now we can make everything as it was in the legends: more mysterious and exciting,» says producer Anna Eliseeva.
Iryna Kostiuk, who produces with Yelisieieva, noted that filming in war-torn Ukraine is now just one big challenge, but local filmmakers have learned to adapt.
«Our biggest and most important mission with the animated film was to export Ukrainian culture. We wanted the world audience to learn about our great nation and its unique identity. This is exactly what Putin wants to destroy: he denies Ukraine’s identity. That is why we are here, at the forefront of culture».
According to Kostiuk, Mavka has become a «cultural diplomat».
«It has made our culture visible, not just because we are a country at war. We are a nation that can create beautiful things. War — is our reality, but not our identity».
Freed from rating restrictions, the new «Mavka» will have scarier, thriller elements. But there will also be room for an even more intense love story.
«The story centers on the romance between Mavka and Lukian, a biologist who meets her by chance in the forest. As their relationship blossoms, they have to overcome the difficulties of love in the midst of dark forces that threaten to tear them apart», — says Yulia Ivankevich from FILM.UA Group.
The audience will enter a world of passion, betrayal and redemption, where the «boundaries between the human and the supernatural are blurred by the».
«Originally depicted as the souls of drowned girls, with their bones showing through their thin white dresses, Mavkas were vengeful and dangerous creatures. Together with other nymphs, they lured good-for-nothing men into forest lakes. However, the film’s heroine embodies a dual nature, demonic power and a tender soul».
The team is also developing an animated series in collaboration with the French company TeamTo, but the darker sides of these legends will be explored in other stories. The message of the movie is that no matter how justified anger is, it is important to always stay on the side of light so as not to turn into a monster.