Discoveries from Ukraine World Cinema

Young actor Ivan comes to an audition, during which he realizes that he is beginning to lose the line between the written text and reality.

The family is preparing to celebrate Christmas, but everything has gone wrong. Dad has clumsily put up the Christmas tree, leading to an argument between the parents. Their daughter understands that while her parents are arguing, there will be no celebration. After all, Christmas presents only appear under a decorated tree. But the little girl has no idea how to reconcile her parents, who are not paying attention to her, immersed in sorting out their own relationship. Her best friend, a toy alpaca, comes to her aid and comes up with a whole plan to restore the festive mood.

A young woman prepares a romantic dinner with champagne and candles to celebrate the fifth wedding anniversary with her husband. But suddenly their cheerful conversation is interrupted by the sounds of sirens and their bursts of laughter by the explosions of bombs.

The film is a story of love, but also the consequences of revealing cultural and social prejudices. The main protagonist tries to show to a couple of observers the variety of interpersonal relationships. Their attitude, to start with – mocking, gradually becomes reflective. The title of the work alludes to Ian Dury’s cult song Sex&Drugs & Rock&Roll. The artist draws attention to the different possible meanings of the word ‘drugs’– a means of intoxication but also a curative treatment.

Comedy about film production and the challenges of filming a steamy bedroom scene. On top of that, if the actors don't know each other at all, the process can become particularly 'hard'.

Crocodile is a game for a big company. The host shows a word only with the gestures. The one, who guesses it, chooses the next one to lead the game. Anya comes up with a difficult word for Lisa. This New Year Eve turns into a test of their friendship.

An intimate and lyrical poetic confession from a woman whose husband is missing.

Lesya fights against the society stereotypes. She starts dealing with her own body - trying to gain weight.

The boring every day life of a single 45 year old lady, tired of her job as a linguist, of fruitless searches for an apartment for her son, of loneliness and the absence of a man's attention. Her real estate manager friend offers her to do something new and attend a special massage course. But the decision to accept isn't as straight forward as it seems.

On the territory of modern Ukraine, there is a mysterious and small Cult. According to eyewitnesses, the cult does not take any food nor drink water. Young blogger Karina, along with her partner set out to find her father.

1930. A prominent figure of the Communist Party, the oppositionist Dmytro Karamazov, with his wife and a friend come to rest in a small provincial town on the banks of the Dnipro. Picturesque nature, neat houses with gardens - nothing portends trouble... Two beauties also come here, but not to rest. They should fulfill the plan of elimination of Karamazov.

What happens when a documentary film breaks out of its comfort zone and openly provokes the society? To what extent my compatriots are willing to reflect on one particular episode, the reprisals in Odessa from October 1941?

His path was not easy. His name has become a mark of quality in the acting world. Those who were lucky enough to become his students call themselves "Rushkovtsy". The fate of the actor is unpredictable. How to succeed in the profession and at the same time not lose yourself, remain a man, be an example to follow for many generations of actors who call you Dad? Mykola Rushkovsky, a legend of the theater, his students and partners, leading actors of Ukraine, in a film about talent, skill, humanity and love.

Voduyrudu (Will, Thought, Movement, Spirit) is a folk-improvisational film-ballet, the origins of which are environment and time. This film is an act of revival of national culture, through the expressiveness of such independent elements of folk art as music and dance, displayed in the frame of the film, that transforms their action into a dynamic picture that will be tested only by faith and time.

A story about the adventures of a brother and his sister who got to an insidious witch. The evil woman placed cunning traps, and the girl got into one of them being succumbed to the temptation to become the owner of charming shoes. But the brother with Kruhlyachok, a kind and unusual guardian of the forest, will be able to pull the girl out of the trouble.

Omelechko and his family, which counted a couple of dozen people, have a fun life. There is a wife, parents and a couple of aunts and uncles, and the girls and the lads, and feast fans who came from nowhere. Everyone has their own character and a short story to introduce with songs and dances to the viewers.

The past is ghosts we left at home. The past is what we always carry with us. "nonplace" attempts to document a place that now exists only in dreams and memories, aiming to connect the ever-changing present with the encapsulated past.

On native home ash, a small Crimean Tatar boy collects old nails. Having gathered the nails, he goes to his father. On his way, he meets an unfriendly local man. Now the boy has to overcome the hate of the adult to bring nails for the work started by his father.

The second part of a three-part video diary epic about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The film series is dedicated to representatives of the club and artistic spheres. These individuals are often marginalized in the social context, yet this does not make their contribution to the victory any less significant. It stands as a “document of the era,” preserving evidence of their presence and activity in contemporary history.

Based on the play by Alejandro Casona. On a warm autumn evening, a group of old friends—three married couples—gather to celebrate their eighteenth wedding anniversary. Happy, they assure each other of the sincerity of their feelings and hope that their love will last forever. The news of an old marital betrayal becomes a real test for their love...

Svyat's grandmother recently died, leaving behind an old house with a barn. Despite the fear of liability, Svyat comes there to resolve a land ownership issue with a neighbor. But something in the barn makes the guy change his plans.

The film is dedicated to the creation of the elite Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the war in 2016. These combat soldiers have victorious combat experience and are battle-hardened. The film explores the theme of special forces soldiers – steel men, wolves, warriors, and the weapons and equipment they use in battle.

A short metaphor about search for harmony in a mountain river.

The film which is the first collaboration between Nigeria and Ukraine tells the story of a young Nigerian medical student in Ukraine, Sade (Omoni Oboli) who dreams of becoming a singer, but she's faced with several difficulties associated with being a foreigner.

They look like you. They may even attend your school or live in your neighbor's backyard. They're outstanding soccer players and golfers, almost dunking in no-five squads, young sculptors and up-and-coming movie stars. That's right, they are renowned gamers, extreme gamers, intellectuals and heartbreakers. And most importantly, they know what sweet friendship is. Meet Zhyvchyk and his friends.

An adaptation of the myth of Perseus and Andromeda.

The film is about the service of border guards at one of the outposts of the Western Border District: soldiers on guard duty, during their leisure time, see off demobilized soldiers.

Documentary about a Ukrainian woman, who during Russia's full-scale attack put her travel business on hold and began transporting killed military men. Like the mythological Charon, who transfers souls to the other side of the river Styx, she transports the bodies of the dead soldiers. Overcoming thousands of kilometers without any stops and sleep, she transports those who have finished fighting in this world and are on their last voyage.

This is a story about a boy Sashko who, for the first time in his life, decided to prove to himself that he deserves the best Christmas gift. The price he has to pay is the first ever good grade for his school essay. Accidentally, he gets into adventure. He has only a few hours left until the New Year to find a notebook with his homework.

About a young boy who tries to keep an eye on his little sister and save her from trouble. But when the parents return home, the boy's ideal world collapses.

A new version of the famous story about Bluebeard. Two characters - killers from different eras, from different myths - decide to start a family. Who will win in a deadly duel? Another attempt to get married will be the last for the hero...

Gleb and Eva meet at a party and spend the night together, trying to escape from their own problems. A brief intimacy turns into a tense conversation in which two different, but equally complex destinies collide.

A dance symbolizes the inner struggle of a teenager in a war-torn Ukraine.

A mother's story about her son who went to the front to defend Ukraine and disappeared near Vasylkiv, Ukraine

It's as if everybody received a manual on how to be human, but not Alice... Can she find her humanity through a connection with someone else?

A documentary about Crimea's history and beautiful sceneries.

Thirty-five-year-old Kateryna works in a catering shop for offices, but she doesn't like her job. She has a rude, violent temper. The protagonist has not been able to get pregnant by her husband for ten years. Kateryna wants to undergo IVF for the third time and has almost saved up the necessary amount of money for this procedure. But at this time, Katya's former lover, the priest, returns to the village and has his own secrets.

Nadya works as a manicurist, lives a happy life with her husband Vasyl, who justifies his inactivity with a big tail (like a fish) instead of legs, she does not notice that he uses her and is a parasite on relationships, until Vasyl's act happens, which she cannot to forgive, and this forever changes her attitude towards herself.

The author of the film lost her home for the first time back in 2014 and has been calling herself a tumbleweed ever since. Now she returns to her childhood memories and, over the course of thirty minutes, introduces the audience to four stories about the main industries of her native land. The film uses footage shot during the director's last trip to Donbas, where many places no longer exist.

An audacious war of conquest is being waged in the heart of Europe, a criminal military force has invaded a sovereign nation and is systematically destroying its people, cities and culture. Artem Ivanenko, a 3D scanning artist from Irpin who escaped the massacre in his home town, follows Banksy artwork left on the rubble.

Simeiz is a small village on the southern coast of Crimea which is temporarily occupied by Russia. In the Soviet era, an underground gay resort arose in the village. It started with a small nudist beach; a popular bar and night club, Hedgehogs, appeared later in independent Ukraine. From the 1990s on, Simeiz became a significant meeting point for members of the LGBTQ+ community from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Every year, about 4,000 people visited the place before the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. At the moment, Simeiz, as a gay resort, is threatened with disappearance due to the homophobic laws of the Russian Federation. If this happens, old photos and videos will be the only evidence of its existence and extinction.

The first documentary about vyshyvankas (Ukrainian embroidered shirts). Everyone has their own vyshyvanka. But there is one most valuable for everyone.

A distinguished teacher and two young women get stuck in the elevator. Turns out that these women are victims of a pedophile. After many years they lured him into a trap. They force him to confess on camera. After he has a heart attack, they face a dilemma - to save him or to let him die.

Bloggers - a film about the common people who, using social media, changed the course of the information war waged by Russia, and created truthful sources of information about the events in Ukraine for the whole world.

There are short stories about people who lived all their lives in the small town of Ivanitsa, having taken root there, and who carried the traditions of their people through the prism of time.

Film follows two volunteers - Rodion and Ivan, who bring help to Ukrainian soldiers in Eastern Ukraine's front line.

Because of the decommunization laws, paintings and sculpturesof socialist realism at the National Art Museum of Ukraine aretrapped in complicated political circumstances. Will those works be brought back to the museum after its reconstruction?

What would you like to remember during your last day? What would you like to remember during your last day if you're a refugee? What would you like to remember during your last day if you're a refugee from Earth?

In this documentary, we are not going to discover anything about the eponymous musical genre, but instead we will meet a group of workers dismantling a high-rise building made of concrete and metal. The filmmakers observe and register their labour using ingenious, visually stunning images, sometimes joined into several composition plans.

Each of us has written this essay at some point. It happens every September 1st, yet somehow it always catches you off guard. Do children from different parts of Ukraine feel life differently or, on the contrary, similarly? What do they have in common, and what sets them apart? We are used to hearing stories about «vacations by the sea», «bike rides», and «sports victories». But what will teenagers in modern Ukraine tell us? Will their lives look somehow different? Or is even the war unable to cancel their youth and passion for life, emotions, and adventures?

A tragicomedy about an amateur theater in Volyn. Seeking to overcome his personal crisis, a renowned stage and screen actor Petro returns from the capital city to his native village to create a theatre with his fellow villagers, thus proving to himself what he is still capable of. After a decade of fame, a small troupe is tired. It is increasingly difficult for the director to find actors for new theatrical productions. The choice falls on Chekhov's vaudeville for three actors. On stage - the director, the director's wife and the director's childhood friend, the head of the club. Summer heat. Serenity. Six months before the war.

French monk Dominic is sent to Kyiv, pretending to be a photographer for a French fashion magazine. He has to make a photo inside Ukraine's oldest Cathedral. Dominic is accompanied by mysterious assistant, who in reality is the member of the French secret order, sent to Kyiv after news that one ancient artifact may be in danger...

Without words this audiovisual documentary poem gives a perspective on the Russia-Ukraine war's impact on civil life in Ukraine. The explosion of everyday life environment, destruction, meaninglessness everyday traces left, things and people are equally scattered on the ground. People bring their dogs as pets on the flight and dogs left behind run wildly around eating remains.

A group of filmakers decide to catch the hype on Youtube.

Andriy fights an unrelenting battle against the echo of war to bring back his loved one.

Two sisters wait for their fathers returns from war.

The horror story, imbued with the search for the true evil in this world. The most ancient legends of folklore will be recreated from the ancient beliefs about the otherworldly evil of the Kazakh region. Retelling again, they will merge into the realities of our days. We will see Zhestyrnak, Zhalmauyz Kempir and the Ghost from the Kapchagai highway. In their appearance, the heroes of the film will try to recognize the authenticity of evil, which for centuries has cooled blood and deprived of life. But the bitterness of truth itself will find them - "There is no worse in the world - man."

A documentary centered on the heroic efforts of Ukrainian pilots during the ongoing war, exploring the real-life challenges these aviators face, capturing both the intense danger and emotional strain of combat missions. The film highlights the resilience and professionalism of Ukrainian aircrews operating under extreme conditions.

Mom feeds little birds from the window of a panel building in Mariupol, Ukraine, and grows quince in her dacha garden near the battle line. Telling about her simple life, the woman shoots videos for her daughter, who lives in Kyiv and often doesn't pick up the phone.