[7] The main character of the film, Pamfir, is a former smuggler, but a good family man who returns to his native village located in the western part of Ukraine, after working abroad for several years.
Pamfir's noble plans are not destined to come true due to an incident involving his son: Nazar wants to keep his father at home and sets fire to his documents, and with them, unwittingly, the local house of prayer.
Now, in order to make up for the damage, Pamfir is forced to reconnect with his troubled past, return to crime, become a member of a criminal group and engage in smuggling again.
Producers are Oleksandra Kostina, Yevheniya (Jane) Yatsuta, Alyona Tymoshenko, Artem Kolyubayev, Laura Briand, Adolf El Assal, Silvana Santamaria, Klaudia Smieja, Bogna Szewczyk, and Giancarlo Nasi.
The project received attention and found French partners, in particular the company Les Films D'Ici and co-producer Laura Briand.
[9] In 2019, Pamfir became one of the winners of the 11th competitive selection of the Ukrainian State Film Agency and received financial support from the government.
[10] Filming took place from October 2020 in the conditions of lockdowns in Bukovyna, where the actors had lived for three months before, for deeper immersion in their roles.
In particular, the labyrinthine method of drying hay, which was found in the village of Sarata, was recreated by the production designers in the house of Pamfir's parents based on photographs.
[14] The main actors, while preparing for filming, lived directly in the authentic environment, did household chores, grazed cows, etc.
[13] This is Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk’s new foray in to the carnival event – previously he depicted it in the 2013 documentary Krasna Malanka where he explored the festivity’s unity with people and nature.
The film was demonstrated alongside the works by other 2022 program participants: Alex Garland, Pietro Marcello, Mia Hansen-Løve, Nicolas Parisier, Alice Winocour and others.
He explains his motivation: IF we just turn around and leave all the events where Russians are invited, it will just mean us taking away the possibility of sounding our own voices, our opinions.
Among them were also Tár with Cate Blanchett, The Fabelmans by Steven Spielberg, The Son by Florian Zeller, documentary films about musician Little Richard and migrants at the Irish town of Gort.
And I am very happy about the fact that Pamfir received such recognition, where artistic qualities are prioritised, where a Ukrainian auteur voice sounds in the global context.
[25] In June 2023, for the Kupala Night, The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Ethnography launched an exhibition titled Visiting Pamfir, which included costumes, props, masks, sketches and storyboards from the film.
Visitors could also see the photos and videos from the production, about the folk tradition of the Malanka carnival, and about the peculiar artistic world of the film.