The Turkish-Ukrainian co-production "Klondike" was awarded three accolades at the Fribourg Film Festival (FIFF), taking home the grand prize, a special mention by the COMUNDO Youth Jury and the critic's choice award.

The festival was held in Fribourg, western Switzerland for the 36th time from March 18-27 this year. The festival jury, comprising Locarno Film Festival director Giona A. Nazzaro, Afghan director Sahra Mani, Albanian musician Elina Duni and Angolan film producer Jorge Cohen, described "Klondike" as "a successful and intense film, directed, written and edited by an emerging filmmaker with a powerful voice."

The movie was directed by Maryna Er Gorbach and co-produced by Mehmet Bahadır Er. The Fribourg Film Festival jury also said that they are convinced that director Er Gorbach will play a major role in international cinema in the coming years after having produced such a promising, surprising and remarkable piece of work. "For its rigorous staging of the dark picture of a war about to break out and for its compassionate approach which reflects the complexity of human nature, the International Feature Films Jury unanimously awards the Grand Prix to ‘Klondike’ by Er Gorbach," their statement added.

Er Gorbach attended the festival ceremony with producer Er and drew attention to the Ukrainian artists who defended her country under attack.

"Klondike" will have its Turkey premiere in the "National Competition" section of the 41st Istanbul Film Festival, which will be held between April 8-19. The screening of the movie, which will be on April 14, will take place with the participation of the team.

Co-produced by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the General Directorate of Cinema of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and TRT 12 Punto, the film focuses on the story of a pregnant woman living on the Ukraine-Russia border who refuses to leave her home despite the siege of her village by separatist groups. It brings the downing of an airliner in Ukraine on July 17, 2014, to the big screen.