‘Tragedy’, the upcoming film by Pavlo Ostrikov (‘U Are the Universe’), blends elements of fantasy and a road movie, with loss and memory at the heart of its story. The project has been selected for the Mediterranean Film Institute’s (MFI) international Script 2 Film workshop program, where it will undergo early-stage development
The story is set in a post-war future and follows Yurii, a professor of ancient philosophy, and his student, who witness the return of the ancient Greek gods to Earth.
Realizing that the underworld must also exist within this mythological world, the protagonists embark on a journey to find it and bring back their lost loved ones—the professor seeks his wife, while the student hopes to rescue his parents.
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Ostrikov is developing Tragedy’ together with producers Yana and Volodymyr Yatsenko, co-founders of the production company ForeFilms. They previously worked on Ostrikov’s debut feature ‘U Are the Universe’, as well as ‘Luxembourg, Luxembourg’ by Antonio Lukich and ‘Me and Felix’ by Iryna Tsilyk.
According to Ostrikov, the idea for his second feature film first came to him during the production of ‘U Are the Universe’. The director also says he hopes to complete ‘Tragedy’ twice as fast as his debut feature: production on ‘U Are the Universe’ began in 2021 and was only completed in 2023 due to the full-scale invasion.
About MFI Script 2 Film
The platform, established by the Mediterranean Film Institute in 2000, focuses on helping film projects come to life, largely driven by its mentorship initiative.
The programme consists of three labs, each dedicated to the development of a specific field: feature films, documentaries, and television series. Since launching, MFI Script 2 Film has supported the development of over 500 film and TV projects.
Commenting on his experience with MFI Script 2 Film, Pavlo Ostrikov shares: ‘We’ve already had our first meetings, and for anyone who ever doubted these kinds of script labs — they actually work. You might not get direct answers to your questions, but you will definitely find them yourself, because they were there all along, just waiting for you to notice them’.
About ‘U Are the Universe’
‘U Are the Universe’ is the first feature-length film by Ukrainian director Pavlo Ostrikov, who previously directed the short films ‘Mia Donna’ and ‘Golden Love’.
The world premiere of ‘U Are the Universe’ took place in September 2024 at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery programme. The film was later released in Ukrainian cinemas in November 2025.
The story follows Andrii Melnyk, a space trucker who survives the explosion of Earth. He thinks he is the absolute last person in the universe — until he connects with Catherine, a French.
‘U Are the Universe’ holds the sixth spot on the list of highest-grossing Ukrainian films and ranks second among movies released in 2025. The film earned UAH 8.7 million during its debut week, while its total box office gross reached UAH 53.4 million after five weekends in cinemas.
Additionally, the sci-fi movie claimed the seventh spot on Letterboxd’s 50 Best Ukrainian Films list, which is led by Sergei Parajanov’s ‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors’, David Cherkaskyi’s ‘Treasure Island’, and Yurii Illienko’s ‘A Spring for the Thirsty’.
