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Ukrainian Filmmaker Zhanna Ozirna Receives Build Your Dream Award at Cannes for Debut Film “Honeymoon”
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukrainian filmmaker Zhanna Ozirna has received the Build Your Dream Award for Best Debut Feature at the 79th Cannes Film Festival for her film Honeymoon, according to Ukraine’s State Film Agency on May 17.
The award was presented as part of a selection that included 15 international debut films, all of which were released in French cinemas over the past year.
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The Build Your Dream Award includes a €40,000 grant aimed at supporting the winner’s future creative projects.
“We were deeply impressed by the film’s remarkable cinematic strength. Through its precise direction and emotional intensity, Honeymoon transforms a confined space into a profoundly affecting experience,” said jury president Chen Kaige.
Honeymoon is a romantic thriller that follows a young couple, Taras and Olia, who spend their first night in a new apartment in a small town near Kyiv after attending a gathering with friends. Their lives are abruptly disrupted at dawn when they fail to leave in time and Russian forces arrive in the area.
Trapped inside their apartment without electricity, water, or communication, the couple is forced into isolation as external circumstances intensify. Over the course of five days, their situation strips away external distractions, revealing deeper truths about their relationship and emotional connection.
Alongside Ukrainian success at Cannes, Ukrainian creative talent is also increasingly present in international film productions beyond the festival circuit.
The horror film The Mummy, directed by Lee Cronin, premiered in Ukrainian cinemas on April 16 and features movement choreography by Ukrainian artist Maryna Mazepa.
The film tells the story of a journalist’s young daughter who disappears in the desert and later returns home years later. What initially appears to be a miraculous reunion gradually turns into a psychological and physical nightmare for the family.
Mazepa, originally from Konotop in Ukraine’s Sumy region, was responsible for designing the physical movement language of the film’s central character. In an interview with NV, she said her work focused on building tension and emotional intensity through choreography, developed in close collaboration with actress Natalie Grace, who plays the titular creature.
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“I watched Lee Cronin’s films to better understand his style, and also revisited various horror films, especially those centered on female characters. I was interested in exploring how tension is built on screen—not only through large movements, but also through anticipation, pauses, and subtle micro-details,” Mazepa detailed.
The recognition of Ukrainian projects at international film events comes alongside growing success for the country’s creators in emerging immersive and digital storytelling formats.
The Ukrainian virtual reality documentary Shelter has received a 2026 Webby Award in the Apps, Software, and Immersive—Science and Education category.
The project is a 360-degree VR documentary co-produced by Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It was co-directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Ivanna Khitsinska and Dutch director Sjoerd Swierstra.
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