Anna Palenchuk(I)

Anna was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1983. She received MA in political science from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Her postgraduate qualification in Producing is from the New York Film Academy; in Scriptwriting from the Vancouver Film School. In 2010 Anna founded the 435 FILMS production company in Ukraine, and since then spearheaded the company's film and cross-media projects with strong social messaging on issues of justice, human rights, the liberation of Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia, and the preservation of Ukrainian heritage, etc. Anna has produced award-winning documentaries and feature films with film directors such as Mantas Kvedaravicius, Vitaliy Manskiy, Oleh Sentsov, and Akhtem Seitablaev. These titles have been premiered at Berlinale, PÖFF, TIFF, IDFA, KVIFF, OIFF, etc. Anna also provided film production services in Ukraine for a Golden Globe-awarded Indian action drama RRR (2022), directed by S.S. Rajamouli. Anna's main goal is to drive forward social change projects, which view contemporary issues through a critical lens. Anna develops the documentary film project «Crimea, 5 AM» by Dmytro Kostiumynskyi, which uncovers the stories of the wives of the detained Crimean Tatars, who have been living under the Russian occupation; as well as the documentary film project «MEMO '94» by Kornii Hrytsiuk, which investigates the prerequisites to the danger of the world's nuclear weaponry, and unveils the key historical events of the past 30 years in Ukraine through the Budapest Memorandum. Based in Toronto, Anna also works toward building the Ukrainian film community in Canada. She organizes film-networking events aiming at creating the best platform for emerging and experienced Ukrainian filmmakers in Canada to help them to get into the local film industry and continue their professional development and work.