Olga’s star, Anastasia Budiashkina, arrived in Poland on Monday after leaving Kharkiv in Ukraine to escape the war.
UK cinemas are uniting in support of Ukraine with a series of preview charity screenings of Olga, a new film about a young female Ukrainian gymnast forced to train in exile. From each ticket sold, a donation will be made to support Ukraine via the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). The previews are a result of a partnership with 606 Distribution and the BFI.
Here’s the film’s synopsis:
Set in 2013, Olga tells the story of a 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast training for the European Championship in preparation for the Olympics, who is forced to move to Switzerland from her home in Kyiv where her mother works as an investigative journalist reporting on the Euromaidan protests.
Lead actress Anastasia Budiashkina is a former member of Ukraine’s national gymnastics team. Budiashkina arrived in Poland on Monday after leaving Kharkiv in Ukraine to escape the war. She says: “I am very glad that Olga will be seen in the UK, and people will see the situation going on with Ukraine. Everyone involved with Olga worked very hard, and I put a part of myself into the film. I hope everyone will enjoy Olga.”
The preview screenings will be taking place in over 200 cinemas nationwide from Friday 18th March, with more cinemas joining the initiative each day. Participating cinemas include Cineworld, Curzon, Everyman, Odeon and Picturehouse chains, as well as the independent venues which make up the members and lead organisations of the BFI Film Audience Ne twork. The BFI is working with 606 Distribution to coordinate, as well as providing additional marketing support. The previews are also supported by the UK Cinema Association.
Further information, including your nearest participating cinema, can be found here: www.ukcsu.co.uk
Watch the Olga trailer now:
Olga is the directorial debut of Elie Grappe and held its World Premiere in International Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival 2021 where it won the SACD Award. The film received its UK Premiere as part of the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this week.