A Story of the Forest: Mavka (1980)
July 23, 1980
Drama, Fantasy, Romance
1h 23m


Mavka, a water nymph, loves Lukash, a country youth. Their brief happiness ends when Lukash is forced to marry the shrewish Kilina. The Spirit of the Forest turns Lukash into a wolf as punishment for his infidelity. The strength of Mavka's love breaks the spell, but Kilina curses the nymph, transforming her into a weeping willow. This beautiful and tragic story is based on a play written in 1912 by Lesya Ukrainka, a Ukrainian poet, writer and political, civil and female activist, and includes mythological characters taken from Ukrainian folklore.
Cast & Crew
- Director
- Yurii Illienko
- Mavka Liudmyla Yefymenko
- Lukash Viktor Kremlev
- Lukash’s Mother Maya Bulgakova
- Uncle Leo / Wood Goblin Ivan Mykolaichuk
- Red (forest) Demon Boris Khmelnitsky
- Koots Viktor Demertash
- Kylyna Lyudmyla Lobza
- Water Sprite Nina Shatskaya
Recommendations
Keywords
- based on novel or book
- love triangle
- arranged marriage
- tragic love
- curse
- folklore
- based on myths, legends or folklore
- ukrainian village
- ukrainian culture
- ukraine
- forest spirit