Maryna Smilianets

Born in Kyiv/Ukraine

Maryna Smilianets is a dramatist, screenwriter, journalist and actress. She graduated from the Kyiv College of Theater and Cinema with a degree in drama theater, studying under Vitaly Kino. In 2018, she received a Bachelor’s and subsequently a Master’s degree from the Kyiv National University of Theater, Film and Television (KNUTKiT. I. Karpenko-Kary) with the specialism »dramatist for film and television«.

She was awarded first prize in the literary competition Coronation of the Word for the children’s play Country of Serious (2015) as well as for her work Dog House (2018). Maryna Smilianets participated in the festival Topical Play Week in 2015 and 2018.

She is the author of many articles and reviews about cinema and theater for the newspaper Mirror of the Week and the online magazine Yabl. She holds the position of Deputy Director of the New Ukrainian Theater in Kyiv and has written more than fifteen plays which are performed in theaters all over the country, in particular in Kyiv, Ternopil, Nikolaev, Kolomyia and Zaporozhye.