Discoveries from Ukraine World Cinema

A young woman's search for her cultural identity is prevented by the imperialist agendas of her neighbors.

May 2014. Serhiy Zhadan, Oleksiy Vorsoba, Vlad Kreymmer, and Olha Mykhaylyuk have gathered in Mstsyhovsky’s estate (Seleznivka village), near the town of Alchevsk, to work on the musical and literary production entitled ‘Punctuation’. Everything is going on in waltz time.

Adaptation of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov’s story A Malefactor. An unemployed resident of one of the Ukrainian villages, Andrii Konotop, is detained on suspicion of stealing wires from electric poles. The case is simple and clear – Konotop was taken red-handed. Andrii is an ordinary villager and a rather simple man. He is being optimistic and does not understand the seriousness of the case.

Automaidan - civic activities on four wheels. It started as an association of car owners who patrolled the streets, blocked government buildings, and helped the activists on the Maidan.

Mr. Manager couldn't even imagine how thoroughly she has been preparing for him to pay a visit. The film is the re-imagining of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

These are stories of five brave residents of the Kyiv Region who have survived the Russian occupation but did not stop resisting even for a moment. Delivering humanitarian aid, rescuing our soldiers from encirclement, providing medical aid, cooking for the fighters or just for the cats of Moshchun - all of these are big and small personal feats which inspire us and give us strength to continue fighting. Apart from astonishing stories, the testimony of the residents of the Kyiv Region can help with future investigations and eventually help punish the Russians.

A theatrical documentary about Hrytsko Chubai, a genius of Ukrainian poetry, a connoisseur of literature, art and music and the brightest representative of Lviv underground culture of late 60s early 70s.

A young guy Maxim introduces his parents to his favorite girl Nastya, they are in love and are going to get married. In addition, it turns out that Nastya is pregnant, and Maxim happily accepts this news. It would seem that nothing will overshadow the happiness of the future young family.... The father's intuition makes him turn to the past. Is it a coincidence that his son's girlfriend comes from the town of Snegov, where he had an affair with a woman many years ago? Worry for his son and a terrible hunch stir the father's heart. Mikhail goes to Snegov, where Vera, Nastya's mother, confirms the guess: the girl is his daughter, which means that the young people are brother and sister... Deep feelings, love, sense of duty and cruel fate fall on the heroes of the movie....

A story about a woman who tries to solve problems with the help of psychotherapist sessions. They talk, do art therapy, but during the next session she goes far into the subconscious and whether she will be able to get out and solve problems, or whether it will only increase internal fears.

On the eve of their mother's birthday, three find themselves, in one way or another, at the mercy of a powerful cartel and, unbenknownst to each other, begin working towards a common goal of taking them down. All the while, said mother, unaware of the bloody path her children are currently carving to ensure their family's safety, is busy making preparations for tommorow's celebration. That is, if the morning ever comes.

2022, Russian-Ukrainian war. During a rocket attack on the city, a newlywed couple expecting a child is killed. Two victims of terrorism – who are actually three.

An adaptation of Hemingway's story "White Elephants". The action takes place on a godforsaken old train station in the middle of beautiful Ukrainian mountains. We are witnessing the most difficult conversation in the lives of a man and a woman who are trying to justify their difficult decision and attempting to save the relationship.

Based on diaries and photographs found in the houses destroyed during the Russian war against Ukraine, the film captures the stories of Mariupol, including that of the director’s family. It centers on the value of freedom and human life itself over the nonsensical statements repeated by totalitarian regimes, as witnessed throughout the history of the Azovstal plant.

Facing the threat of a nuclear war, a young Ukrainian woman is forced to decide between safety and bodily autonomy.

Ten-year-old Ukrainian boy Dima has no parents. He does not want sweets, he does not want a bike, and he does not want a dog. All he wants is to play soccer. Dima finds the Polish-speaking ‘father’... A child, lost in the dysfunctional Ukraine of the Yanukovych era and surrounded by a complete absence of adults, is fighting to carve out a place for himself in society.

The main characters - two brothers, Mark and Yasha, are street-smart and know how to get from life all that is necessary. Mark is referred to as the noble bandit, and Yasha, on the contrary, is all about using his intelligence. Passing difficult twists and turns in their youth, the brothers begin to look for stability. Precisely in one of those days they receive the news about the inheritance. They inherit a well-known pawnshop and the owner is their uncle Felix, who doesn't want to let go of it. Mark and Yasha decide to pick up the inheritance by any means. They part ways, but they are ready for anything...

Odesa in the early 2000s. A few local residents go to the cemetery to remove the monuments of famous Odesa citizens. All along the way, they encounter phenomena and people characteristic of the city.

Denis Valevsky is a 45 year-old businessman, he owns a furniture factory. He makes a tough business, quarrels with his bored wife and measures his life clearly - with dollar bills. The only thing to be appreciated is money. But the car accident unexpectedly throws Denis out of his routine. Suddenly he starts noticing things that had never interested him before: forms of flowers, silhouettes on the dress of his wife, unusual wall-paper colors... Inspired by these new abilities Denis spends all of his attention painting, gradually throwing all his businesses out of the head. As a result - he misses a profitable deal, partners recall their money back, and when a young lady artist appears in Denis' life, everything turns to complete confusion...

Ruslana Abrosimova, 17 years old, lives in Mariinka, Donetsk region. Now Ruslana is in an unconditional state of war and is struggling every day with her desire to go out on the street or to stay at home, safe, in her room. War in Ukraine rages for more than five years already. Still, teens never cease to think about studying, discovering new cities and their bright future. Conflict occurs at every step as soon as the children open their room doors. That`s why Ruslana decided to take her camera and start to film her reality.

On the eve of Christmas in the estate "Elysian Fields" landowner Vladimir gathered his friends - young Proinka with her father and their neighbor Vasili.

Young children go on adventures. Sometimes their imaginations take them far from home, and then suddenly, out of the blue, a child finds themselves alone in an unfamiliar world, on an unfamiliar street, surrounded by strangers. That’s a problem. But it doesn’t just happen to children.

A young journalist, the daughter of a famous scientist, is trying to unravel the mystery of the disappearance of a famous doctor, admired by her father - transplantologist Hematos.

The film tells the story of the development of Ukrainian dubbing. Until 2006, there was almost no Ukrainian dubbing on the big screen. According to the film's screenwriter Alina Stepanets, it is a great achievement that over 90% of films in theatres are now dubbed into Ukrainian. The secrets of working on Ukrainian dubbing are discussed in the film by such well-known film figures as film distributor and owner of the dubbing studio Bohdan Batrukh, dubbing director Olha Fokina, actors Yevhen Malukha, Yurii Kovalenko, Oleh Mykhailiuta (Fahot), translator Oleksa Nehrebetskyi and many others. In addition, the film's characters will recall working on the Ukrainian dubbing of their first films, Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

An unsentimental yet compassionate film about building a community to increase a sense of belonging despite living the worst times ever imagined.

The old man Lyosha and his lady Christie decided to die happily in one day. But Lyosha has to finish something very important first. He does desperate things to implement his secret plan and convince his woman to delay the day of their death.

Russian war changed the lives of Ukrainian filmmakers entirely. Some are at the frontline, some volunteering or trying to take care of their kids, but everybody is reflecting. What is the picture the war reveals?

The story of the happy couple Aneli and Anton Angarovych. They love each other, love their children and are ready for anything for the well-being of their family hearth. For this reason, Anton gave five years of his life to the service in Bosnia. Anelya solved this problem in her own way: in order to save the dignity and honor of her family, which she tarnished by participating in criminal cases, she committed suicide.

Ania has a little son and has no husband. To take care of the child she has to work two jobs – dubbing cartoons and... providing sexual services by phone. Ania has a regular customer. He always calls in time and never misses sessions. Once the client calls to say goodbye – he leaves and won’t be able to call anymore. The girl feels sorry, so does he. They seem to have established s good relationship. The girl suggests the last sex. Ania doesn’t have an idea that it can really be the last one for the man – not everyone returns from where he goes...

They want everybody to know about them. They want everybody to remember that there are violent fighting in our country. They want to be heard. They don't want another people to feel the same.

Hirnyk depicts the realities of civilian life when the front line approaches dangerously close to home. Khrystov is a TV host who has dedicated himself entirely to volunteering since the beginning of the invasion. He evacuates civilians from front-line and near-frontline areas, focusing on vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children.

The day after the students on the Euromaidan were beaten up, the activists of the Center for Civil Liberties opened a hotline for the victims and the volunteer lawyers, thus providing the protesters with legal services and defenders in court. Today, they monitor war crimes, engage in international advocacy, and struggle for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia.

The naive, pure protest of two young souls against the dullness of the world.

In an age when disinformation muddles the truth, a newly discovered voice cuts through the historical haze. She is Rhea Clyman, a young Canadian reporter who traversed the starving Soviet heartland when Stalin’s man made famine was just beginning in Ukraine. Clyman’s newly discovered newspaper articles for Toronto and London newspapers in 1932 show her remarkable resourcefulness and courage. After she was banished from the USSR for writing about the Holodomor and the Gulag, this brave woman went on to cover Hitler’s early lethal years in power.

TV version of the stage play. This is a specific comedy, where myth and reality have equal power, where radioactive humor borders on the truth of our lives, where potatoes are a delicacy, and "condensed" is simply fantastic.

Visual accompaniment to the Ukrainian folk songs performed by the fellow artist Vyacheslav Mashnitsky.

The eternal desire of a man to love a real and unique Woman paints different images in the imagination of screenwriter Ivan Gerasimov. From time to time he meets with the women of his dreams - a romantic young lady, a relaxed prostitute, a mysterious lady with a veil and - his wife - Ivan ceases to understand which of these women is reality, and which is only a figment of his imagination. In search of answers, he finds himself in the mystical station cafe Gendelyk. Thanks to the "accidental" meeting with Bartender and Sputnik, various emotional memories from life emerge in his memory: first love, funny oddities, moments of incredible happiness and unbearable suffering. These memories help Ivan understand himself and become free.

On New Year's Eve, Nastya is kicked out of her dormitory. Desperate, she wades through the snow wherever she can see and almost gets hit by a car. The driver, Sergey, is also upset, because on the holiday he had a fight with his fiancée. A new friend offers to give the girl a ride, and during the trip they get into a car accident....

Nastia dreaming about amazing prom and first sex with her classmate Maksym. But all dreams are crashing by herpes, stupid dog and her freaky mom as a hostess at a prom party.

Set in the director’s hometown of Hama, this short film presents a bold, unsettling attempt to expose the global Zionist movement by weaving together fragments of personal memory and deep political disillusionment. Through its fractured narrative and incisive, at times confrontational editing, the film challenges dominant Western discourses and constructs a dense atmosphere of conspiracy, erasure, and historical amnesia. A cinematic act of resistance, it draws its urgency not only from archival, but from the director’s own reckoning with the mechanisms of silencing and distortion.

A short experimental video collage that combines original synthesizer music with a fast-paced montage of personal footage from the filmmaker’s life. It spans his childhood and teenage years in Ukraine, through his displacement as a refugee, and into his current life in the U.S. The piece is a reflection on the feeling of disconnection from one’s past, the abrupt loss of people and places, the loneliness that follows, and what it means to look back at a life that feels like it belonged to someone else.

A young Ukrainian street photographer reflects on his feelings of longing and connection to his father as he explores the streets of New York City.

Russians bombarded Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin and other cities in the region following their invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. By the time they retreated a month later, the damage was huge: buildings had been destroyed and there were corpses lying in the streets. Filmmakers Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz went in immediately, in time to film local people emerging from their shelters, but never showing the actual atrocities. That wasn’t necessary, as the trauma of war is clear to see on everyone’s faces, including those of the volunteers who rushed in from far and wide to help.

This is an impressionistic film-portrait about an eccentric coach of track-and-field athletics. His strong nature was formed long time ago during his service at the navy.

The story of a guy whose passion was playing the piano.

When Andrey was 12 years old, he could easily hang on a basketball hoop. When he was 14, he could not fit into the photo. Now he is 22 years old and 207 cm tall. Being tall is always a trouble. But being tall is not the main trouble of Andrey.

A story of pure love in dirty conditions.

A group portrait of Soviet people in the interior of the post-Soviet timelessness. Soviet Jews intoxicated with freedom, who did not want to leave the new Russia, and Soviet officers broken by freedom, who did not want to return to the new Russia. Ruddy first-year soldiers, singing obscene songs, and old men, "are terrible with their blind gazes into the lens, as into the abyss of time." People who died, long before they died. And people experiencing their rebirth. And there are cracked tombstones, ruined cemeteries, abandoned towns, an empty autumn sky and a chronicle of several wars that merged in the memory of an old soldier into one endless massacre that began in 1914 and continues to this day with a premonition of civil war.

“I have been working hard this summer. Begged for alms, collected metal, stole. I don't have a father. The mother was asleep. I left home and started living on the street. In the basement. I have friends. We live together, steal, sniff glue, drink vodka. Then they got hooked on the needle. Now we all walk badly and hardly talk. We are sick bitch people. And you?" Film-immersion. For several months, the filmmakers lived with a pack of homeless human children and observed different aspects of their lives.

Industrial Soviet town in the 1970s is suffering from a cholera epidemic. Zina Shamarina, nicknamed Shamara, is a rebel-spirited woman who lives in a factory dormitory and is desperately in love with Ustin, the man who was one of the bunch that raped her years ago and then married her only to avoid prosecution. When Ustin commences an affair with the new girl in town, Shamara is challenged to regain herself and her place in this community.

The owner of a large construction company struggles to get permission to build a house in a garden square. An unexpected parcel from an old friend helps him make the only right choice.

One sunny morning in 1977 a man came out of the house, went to work and was in the 90s.

Suffering from a fatal malady as a child the future great physicist, Nikola Tesla, promised his parents that he would recover under the sole condition...if they allowed him to become an engineer. And he kept his promise. Never ending yearning for knowledge, research practice, creative endeavor, discoveries that have unfixed all established notions - that's what was the characteristic of the great physicist. Nikola Tesla would always remain a scientist whose life was a sort of mystification rather than pure reality.

Revolutions on Granite is a documentary about Maidan Nezahlezhonsti, a public square in the heart of Kyiv, Ukraine — famously home to a number of political revolutions, but also the birthplace of a cultural revolution after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The film takes a look at the burgeoning skateboard scene at Maidan in the early 1990’s, and investigates the idea of a counterculture being created in a place of strict uniformity.

A famous artist in the past learns that today is the last day in his life. Summing up his life, he realizes that no one and nothing keeps him in this world. But here he mentions that an old gray parrot has been living in his house for almost thirty years, which has faithfully played the role of "blue bird" for many years. An elderly, sick person is forced to run around the city in search of a new shelter for his faithful friend.

This documentary is a portrait of several residents in a remote region of Ukraine. They dream of sunken treasures, sing in a village choir, fight raiders and design coffins for themselves - in short, they live a normal Ukrainian life.

In the adaptation of a poem by Taras Shevchenko in the last third of XVIII a small fraction of 300 Cossacks who were enslaving their own people for Turkey and were executed by other Zaporizhian Sich Cossacks are reanimated as living dead at one cold night.

Squat32 is a modern Peter Pan story of searching one`s way to adulthood, and finding own style and talents. Lisa works as a photographer in the Passport Center. One day she comes across a commune of free and talented dreamers’ artists, dancers, musicians, who are squatting in half-ruined desolate house. An eighty-year-old Faina is the only legal resident of the house and the sole obstacle for the developer who plans demolish the whole block including the SquatHouse. Lisa is mesmerized by the energy, freedom and creativity of the commune. They fight for their way of living, create and change the world around them. Lisa herself changes, she begins to search for her place in the world, develops her vision and style. Thanks to Squat32 Lisa’s work as a photographer is noticed and her world and possibilities widen.

Short animated musical performance of a work by Valentin Silvestrov based on Taras Shevchenko's verses, combined with animation of each line of the poem by different young directors.