New film by Odezynska to premiere in New York (09/11/05)

New film by Odezynska to premiere in New York

NEW YORK - Andrea Odezynska's new film, "The Whisperer," will premiere at a special screening on Saturday, September 24, at LaMama's Annex Theater, 66 E. Fourth St. in New York City.

"The Whisperer," a 30-minute documentary, explores Ms. Odezynska's journey to a small village in Western Ukraine where she has an unexpected encounter with Baba Anna, the village healer, thus changing the course of Andrea's life forever. A short question and answer period with Ms. Odezynska (director) and Kathryn Barnier (film producer/editor) will follow the screening.

Several summers ago Ms. Odezynska went to Utoropy, a village in western Ukraine, with theater director Virlana Tkacz to help Ms. Tkacz research Ukrainian music. Ms. Odezynska turned her camera on for archival purposes, to record singers.

Upon coming home to Brooklyn, Ms. Odezynska couldn't stop thinking about one very intense encounter she had with awoman called Baba Anna. "The meeting with Baba Anna became more important to my life, after I left Ukraine, when I got some perspective on the meaning of her actions and words. These memories took on a life of their own and the film demanded to be made," she noted.

She showed her tapes to Ms. Barnier, a veteran documentary filmmaker, who stated, "there's a good story in here." The two sifted through over 20 hours of tape and began experimenting with structuring the film.

"The more we watched it, we realized we didn't want to do a dry, didactic piece, educating people about Ukrainian folklore," said Ms. Barnier. "I had to find a way into the story that would make the material interesting and moving for others."

"Once we knew what the main story of 'The Whisperer' was going to be, we then filmed more footage, interviews, scenes around that main spine. It was like making the movie backwards," she explained.

Ms. Odezynska and Ms. Barnier worked on the film as a labor of love whenever they could find a few hours to meet. Three years later, they are quite happy with the result. Reviewer Vincent LoBrutto writes, "I love films which start out being about one thing then surprise you and take you down another path..."

Ms. Odezynska, the director of "The Whisperer," is a professor of film at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute, where she received an MFA in directing and was awarded an NEA grant and scholarships from the Kodak and Robert Wise foundations. Her comedy film, "Dora Was Dysfunctional" won her an award at the Hampton's and Rotterdam film festivals.

Ms. Barnier, the film's producer, has worked in film and television for over 20 years. She directed and edited the entertainment show "Broadway Legends" for the Trio Digital Cable Channel and co-produced "The Gun Deadlock" with director Lee Grant for Lifetime Cable. She was series editor for the 10-hour PBS program, "The American President," and is currently editing for PBS.

The premiere screening of "The Whisperer" is part of a celebration of the 15th anniversary of The Yara Arts Group.

For tickets, at $20 general admission, $10 for students, readers may call (212) 475-7710.

For more info about Ms. Odezynska, visit: www.odezynska.com or e-mail her at [email protected].

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