The film Forever-Forever (Nazavzhdy-Nazavzhdy) by Ukrainian filmmaker, Anna Buryachkova, was picked up by a Berlin-based sales agent called Pluto Film and will have its world premiere at Venice Film Festival’s Horizon Extra competition. Forever-Forever is produced by Natalia Libet, Vitalii Sheremetier, Oleksii Zgomik, and Lyuba Knorozom for the Ukrainian outlet, Digital Religious. They’re in co-production with Rinskje Raap and Reinver Selen for Rinkel Film of the Netherlands.

Forever-Forever is about a girl named Tonia (Alina Cheban) transferring into a downtown high school as she befriends a group of rebel teens as they spend time together roaming around Kyiv’s suburbs, living it up and causing trouble. As she’s transitioning into her new life, her past still haunts her as she’s trying to find her place in her new environment. As time goes on, Tonia falls in love with Zhurik (Zachary Shadrin) and Sania (Aruther Aliiev) as she gets entangled into a love triangle. Tonia must manage her new life as her past haunts her and creates hardships for her friendships and romance.

Buryachkova stated about the film, “This film is a love song to the lost teenagers of the late 1990s who grew up amidst the ruins of the Soviet regime and were told one rule: if no one loves you, you won’t survive. Seeking love and validation in someone else’s eyes, my generation compromised on the abuse and injustice, just to get more attention. Being a teenager in general means that every bit of existence is only here and now, which means forever. Every love is forever, every relationship is forever, every drama is forever. So now, being adults, we have to finally grow up and realize that the only validation and love we need is our own. Such understanding always requires the acceptance of loneliness and embracing responsibility for one’s own life.”