Interview with Arkadiy Nepytaliuk, director and screenwriter of the movie Lessons of Tolerance, interviewer Nikolaj Nikitin
"Nepytaliuk was born and raised in the small Ukrainian village of Lehnivka. After studying at the Kyiv State Theater, Film and Television School, he graduated from the Utrecht School of Art. He has directed some popular TV shows and one short film. His debut feature film The Strayed was also screened at PÖFF in 2017. The pilot episode of his 12-part TV series ,,There Will Be People'' has also been shown at PÖFF.
Lessons of Tolerance is based on the play by Igor Bilits called ,,Ґей-парад'' meaning gay parade.
Ten uncomfortable lessons in a small Ukrainian apartment. Nadia, a teacher, launches an EU-funded LGBT+ program. A typically intolerant family reluctantly decides to participate in order to receive an attractive participation fee. Their task is to spend 24 alcohol-free days with Vasõli, who is gay. Through fun games, they learn about homophobia, equality, empathy and gender discrimination. A provocatively ironic mosaic of anecdotal sketches is gradually formed into an uninterrupted labyrinth of black humor, tenderness and witty sarcasm.
Since the film was made last year, during the full Russian invasion, the filmmakers wondered if it even made sense to make such a fun film during such a dark time. Finally, they realized that even during the war, a film like that is also needed, because the lives of the people there are not on pause because of the war. And because they want to adopt aspects of European life.
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