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Peter Kerekes’s “107 Mothers,” a Slovak drama about women living and working in a Ukrainian prison, won the Crystal Arrow Award at the 13th edition of Les Arcs European Film Festival.

The festival, which wrapped on Dec. 18, took place as an-person event with “The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius presiding over the jury which also included actors Laetitia Dosch and Sidse Babett Knudsen, author Tania de Montaigne and actor-director Éric Judor. The selection was curated by Frederic Boyer, the artistic director of both Les Arcs and Tribeca.

Represented in international markets by Films Boutique, “107 Mothers” world premiered at Venice in the horizons section and revolves around the relationship between Leysa (Maryna Klimova), a new inmate who gives birth in prison, and Iryna (Iryna Kiryazeva), the prison’s ward.

The Grand Jury Price was awarded to “Kapitan Volkonogov,” a Russian historical thriller directed by Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov. The movie,...

New parents are always advised to treasure every moment of their child’s infancy, even through the sleepless nights and bawling meltdowns for it all passes in the blink of an eye. Most parents, of course, have other stages of child-rearing to look forward to. For the incarcerated young mothers at Ukraine’s Odessa women’s correctional facility, however, those early years of bonding might be all they get: Their newborns may remain in their care until their third birthday, upon which they must be transferred to another guardian or, in many cases, an orphanage. It is on this wrenching deadline that Slovakian docmaker Péter Kerekes balances the drama of “107 Mothers,” an unusual and rewarding docufiction feature woven from the firsthand stories of multiple Odessa prisoners, executed with a blend of close-to-the-bone realism and heightened formal refinement.

A worthy and distinctive pick as Slovakia’s international Oscar submission, “107 Mothers...

Pregnant prisoners are the subject of 107 Mothers, Slovakia’s striking but somewhat sluggish International Feature Oscar entry directed by Peter Kerekes who co-wrote with Ivan Ostrochovský, winning Best Screenplay in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section earlier this year.

Inspired by the true stories of women in a Ukrainian prison, 107 Mothers centers on Lesya (Maryna Klimova), who’s serving a seven-year sentence. After giving birth to her child, she remains in jail and can see the baby for set periods each day, just like all the other mothers incarcerated with her. Meanwhile, prison warden Iryna (Iryna Kiryazeva) watches the inmates quietly, observing their daily routine.

Kiryazeva’s expressive face brings moments of gentle comedy, but the overall tone is that of a serious observational docudrama, fascinating in parts and slow in others.

There’s no strong narrative arc; more a series of vignettes. The most intriguing parts of the...

107 MothersVenice Airport, departure hall, some ungodly hour in the early morning. The Lido feels a whole world away from where I’m sitting, so distant it’s turned into a mirage already; knackered and shaky, I’m guzzling coffee while trying to process the other night’s unexpected, delightful Golden Lion winner: Audrey Diwan’s Happening. It was a historic award for another historic edition. For the first time ever, the festival circuit’s two most coveted statuettes of the year were handed out to women directors: on the heels of Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or-winning Titane, Diwan’s triumph marks the second time in a row the Venice Film Festival’s top prize has been given to a woman. Markedly different in scope and style, both Titane and Happening follow women fighting for control of their bodies; though it’d be premature to call this a watershed moment,...

A visually compelling film about women living and working in a Ukrainian prison, 107 Mothers opens with the piercing screams of a mother and her child. Leysa (Maryna Klimova), a new inmate, is giving birth in a dour hospital room under the soft, watchful gaze of Iryna (Iryna Kiryazeva), the prison’s ward. The relationship between these two women, teeming with anxiety, suspicion and, eventually, an understated mutual respect, becomes the focal point of this quiet docufiction.

Directed by Peter Kerekes and premiering in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons sidebar, 107 Mothers pulls its material from the real-life stories of incarcerated ...

A visually compelling film about women living and working in a Ukrainian prison, 107 Mothers opens with the piercing screams of a mother and her child. Leysa (Maryna Klimova), a new inmate, is giving birth in a dour hospital room under the soft, watchful gaze of Iryna (Iryna Kiryazeva), the prison’s ward. The relationship between these two women, teeming with anxiety, suspicion and, eventually, an understated mutual respect, becomes the focal point of this quiet docufiction.

Directed by Peter Kerekes and premiering in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons sidebar, 107 Mothers pulls its material from the real-life stories of incarcerated ...

Variety has been given exclusive access to the first footage to be released from Slovak director Peter Kerekes’ “107 Mothers,” which world premieres in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival. Films Boutique is handling world sales on the film.

“107 Mothers” features mostly real-life female prisoners and prison guards in an Odessa women’s jail acting out their true stories. Two characters are focused on in particular, both played by actors: Lesya, a prisoner with a young boy forced to make a difficult decision, and Irina, a guard, whose life often resembles that of her prisoners. Iryna is “a guardian, confidant, and friend, but also a public official charged with administering punishment,” the director comments.

Lesya has committed a crime of passion, which lands her with a seven-year jail term. She has just given birth to her first child, and now she is entering a world populated only by women: inmates,...