Distribution
The film was released in Ukrainian cinemas on March 23, 2023.
Over six weekends in Ukrainian release, Pamfir got 76,414 viewers, and grossed over 11 million UAH at the box office. Kyiv was the leader in attendance, with nearly 53% of the total box office (the highest number of viewers watched the film in the Zhovten cinema – 10,117 viewers at 80 screenings). Lviv was in second place (20,62%), followed by Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, and Dnipro.
In June 2023, UK's The Guardian included Pamfir among the 37 top films of 2023. Among them were also Tár with Cate Blanchett, The Fabelmans by Steven Spielberg, The Son by Florian Zeller, documentary films about musician Little Richard and migrants at the Irish town of Gort. Commenting on the rating, director Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk said:
It’s a collection where the Ukrainian film took its spot. And I am very happy about the fact that Pamfir received such recognition, where artistic qualities are prioritised, where a Ukrainian auteur voice sounds in the global context. And in this expression, some start to look for explanations why Ukrainians are so powerful, so dedicated. Among these built-in contexts, hidden codes, they find answers and reasons for love and self-sacrifice. Through Pamfir, they meet us as a nation, not just through the war. Thanks to the film, the audience often receives answers about how freedom-loving our nation is, how courageous, and standing strong in the face of the powerful enemy who outnumbers us, but we still stand as one, a united nation. To me this is an important sign that auteur voices about us receive deserving attention.
After the Ukrainian release, from June 22, 2023 the film came out on the Netflix streaming platform, available with subtitles in English.
In June 2023, for the Kupala Night, The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Ethnography launched an exhibition titled Visiting Pamfir, which included costumes, props, masks, sketches and storyboards from the film. Visitors could also see the photos and videos from the production, about the folk tradition of the Malanka carnival, and about the peculiar artistic world of the film. As part of the exhibition, an open air screening of the film was organised.
