A Ukrainian-French immersive film called "DAMNED," which follows the ecological fallout of the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant through the experience of animals, was presented at the Venice Gap-Financing Market, a professional platform held as part of the Venice International Film Festival. News of the presentation was reported by the project's press office, according to LIGA.net.
The film was made by Ukrainian director Nataliia Velykanova and producer Valerii Korshunov, working alongside French production company Da Prod. The project received support from the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image, known as the CNC.
The story opens on a river, where a golden retriever named Mira sits in a small boat. After the sound of a distant explosion, the current suddenly changes and the water level begins to rise rapidly, flooding the shoreline, homes, cars and people's belongings. Amid the unfolding environmental disaster, both domestic and wild animals are forced to find ways to survive.
Venice Immersive Program
This year's Venice Immersive program, the festival's dedicated strand for immersive and interactive works, included 65 projects chosen from more than 370 submissions from around the world.
The Venice Immersive Grand Prize, the program's top award, went to "The Pigeon Ring" by Chinese directors Shixin Tao and Yuqi Zhang. The Special Jury Prize was given to the American project "Out of the Ashes," made by Rory Mitchell and Nonny de la Peña. The Venice Immersive Achievement Prize was awarded to "Empire at Sea," by American director Peter Flaherty.
The Kakhovka Dam Destruction
The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant sat on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine and held back one of the country's largest reservoirs, supplying water and electricity to a wide stretch of the surrounding region. On the night of June 6, 2023, Russian occupying forces blew up the plant.
Ukrhydroenerho, the state company that operates Ukraine's hydroelectric plants, said the Kakhovka facility was completely destroyed by the explosion and could not be restored. The resulting flood inundated towns, farmland and nature reserves downstream along the Dnipro.
Ukraine has estimated the damage caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant at $14 billion.
