In 1991, Ukraine declared independence, and Mazeppa rose again in international consciousness. A French drama film titled "Mazeppa", based loosely on the lives of the painter Géricault and the equestrian Franconi, won a prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Gericault decided to stay and live with the circus and painted only horses to try and understand the mystery of this animal; Mazeppa embodies a man carried away by his passion.