Ivan Tymchenko’s Oxygen Station Holds World Premiere at PÖFF

Ukrainian feature drama Oxygen Station, directed by Ivan Tymchenko, had its world premiere on November 9, 2023, in the Main Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF).

The poetic drama is inspired by real events in the life of Mustafa Dzhemilev, the prominent Crimean Tatar dissident, human rights activist and leader of the Crimean Tatar national movement. Set in 1980, the film follows Dzhemilev during his exile in the Siberian settlement of Zyryanka, where he works at an oxygen station while remaining under constant surveillance by the Soviet authorities.

The story also focuses on his meeting with Safinar, his future wife, portraying their relationship against the backdrop of political repression and the Crimean Tatars’ struggle to return to their homeland.

Written by Mykhailo Brynykh, Oxygen Station was produced by Svitlana Soloviova, Alžběta Janáčková and Peter Krupenin. The Ukraine-Czech Republic-Sweden-Slovakia co-production was produced by Svitlofor Film and partners.