Private Project

MAID-IN-LAW

The plot revolves around the controversial relationship between maid Stefania Chornenko and blueblood Adelia Anger against the backdrop of the provincial Austro-Hungary in 1900. Both Stefania's parents and Adelia's mother died during the fire. Adelia's father adopted a neighbors' orphan. Girls grew up together to become as close sisters, though Stefania served as a maid. This attachment developed into love-trap: on one hand full of mutual manipulation and jealousy, but equally based on care and devotion. The illusion of balance was broken when Adelia got married. Everything gets even more complicated when Joseph, the old love interest of Stefa, returns to town as the priest and married man.

  • Christina Sivolap
    Director
    Short film "Not Today"
  • Alina Semeryakova
    Writer
    Anna German
  • Sofia Andrukhovych
    Writer
    the author of the novel "Felix Austria"
  • Nadiia Zaionchkovska
    Producer
  • Marianna Januszewicz
    Key Cast
    "STEFANIA CHORNENKO"
    PROCEDER, DYWIZJON 303. HISTORIA PRAWDZIWA, OJCIEC MATEUSZ, MIASTO 44
  • Roman Lutskiy
    Key Cast
    "PETRO SCORYK"
    Szóstka, The Stronghold
  • Alesya Romanova
    Key Cast
    "ADELIA ANGER"
    The School
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ВІДДАНА
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 40 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 15, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    Ukraine
  • Language:
    Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Christina Sivolap

Christina Sivolap
Director

DOB: 29.12.1991
Contact #:+38 050 339 64 04
Email: christina.sivolap@gmail.com
Current residence: Kyiv, Ukraine
Citizenship: Ukraine

Languages:
English and Russian – fluent;
Ukrainian – native

Education/training/industry:

2008 - 2013: KYIV NATIONAL I. K. KARPENKO-KARY THEATRE, CINEMA AND TELEVISION UNIVERSITY.
Diploma of Specialist in Television Direction and dramaturgy.
The course of Yuriy Tereschenko.

2017 - Directing workshop of the New York Film Academy, FILM.UA Faculty.
July 2018 - Pitching at Odesa International Film Festival, ‘Felix Austria’.
October 2018 - International Audiovisual Training Program by (H)emen Audiovisual Women’s Association with the collaboration of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA) with ‘Felix Austria’ feature film

Filmography:

2019 ‘Maid-in-Law’, feature film in post-production
2018 ‘Only the love matters’, TV series;
2017 ‘Cafe on Sadovaya Street’, TV series;
2017 ‘Step Dan’ format adaptation, TV series;
2014 ‘Not today’, short film.

Christina is director and co-writer of the short film ‘Not Today’, which was sponsored by Ukrainian State Film Agency and was awarded:

The TFF SHORTS AWARD for the Best Short Film (Trieste Film Festival 2015, Italy),
The audience choice award (Lviv International Short Film Festival Wiz-Art 2015, Ukraine),
Audience Award and Best Script Award (Jula Festival 2015, Germany).

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Director Statement

The main theme of the movie is the collapse of illusions. It is about how strong can be the human desire to preserve the world created by own subliminal mind. The main character Stefa is trapped in a love triangle between step-sister Adela and her husband Petro. Their relationship is full of jealousy, co-dependence and
romance. The main character lives in the illusion that her commitment and wicked love are vital for step-sister who is also her master. The irony is that this self-sacrifice to the large extend makes dreadful the existence of both parties involved – the one who serves and the one who accepts the service.
The key feature of the film is that the narration is presented from Stefa’s subjective POV. This gives me the right to portray this period story using modern visual language including elements of phantasmagoria as illustration of Stefa’s vivid internal world by means of VFX. Humor, erotic scenes and sexual sub-context
also spices up the drama.
The viewer has to fall in love with Stefa, become related to her, feel what she feels, suffer from one-sided love to Adela, hate everybody who stands between them, including Adela herself for narcissism and insensibility.
And then the insight of the main character will become the revelation for the viewer.
I aim to create somewhat perfected reality, as in “A Very Long Engagement” film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Costumes and make-up are rather a modern stylization of 1900s, than historical truth. I use selected symmetry of shots and ideal compositions in Wes Anderson style that add some conventionalism to the world seen from Stefa’s point of view.