This is the poster of the 14th Wiz-Art Lviv International Short Film Festival. Since October 2020, our team has been preparing it for July 2021 with the slogan “Back to the Roots: Where We Are True.”
As always, we were going to watch the best Ukrainian and foreign films together, attend workshops, get inspired by new ideas and look inward.
However, this year, it isn’t meant to be.
This year, for the first time in its history, the 14th Wiz-Art Festival WILL NOT BE TAKING PLACE.
It was not an easy decision, but we made it as a protest, taking into account the situation concerning the Ukrainian cultural process and the depreciation of the work of cultural managers. A job in the cultural sphere is like any other, and cultural events demand investments.
Behind-the-scenes games, intrigues, non-transparent processes and the absence of financing or, at least, support from the governmental structures make it impossible to have a high-quality festival in 2021 and severely undermine the country’s image in the international community.
We were looking at a possibility to have a minifestival. However, it is next to impossible for curators to conduct it in a reduced format, as our initial program included at least 250 films which we would have to lower to 50 at most. It is unfair to teams of filmmakers who all deserve to be in the program. That is why all applications accepted in 2021 will remain as such in 2022, together with new ones.
We are sure that unlawful destabilizing processes at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation on behalf of the supervisory board will sooner or later be rightfully condemned.
Finally, we want to thank everyone who has supported us during the recent weeks and has stuck around with us throughout the years!
Let’s stay together, Wiz-Art — #earthshakingfilmsonly!
Wiz-Art team