Discoveries from Ukraine World Cinema

A version of the creation of one of the great monuments of ancient Russian literature "The Word about Igor's Regiment".

A short trip to an abandoned shipyard named 'SRZ', where Daria Chechushkova installed her exhibition under the water.

Old Jew Reuven Koshman came to the Kyiv cliffs to say goodbye to the Dnipro River. He tells a random passerby about his life, about the city of Berdychiv, where he was born and lived most of his life. Then he moved with his family to Kyiv, but soon his children left for Israel. But Reuven stayed because he cherished the places where he was born, where he had lived his life, where his family had put down deep, strong roots.

A story about a man and a woman, actors in a cheap provincial theater. They perform in a meaningless, banal farce that partially permeates their private lives. Real relationships are mixed with theatrical affectation...

This artistic and journalistic film-requiem is dedicated to the victims of the Ukrainian people who died during the Holodomor famine of 1933. Using documentary footage and archival materials, the film recreates the horrific scenes of the tragedy.

The protagonists of the film are young people from Chernivtsi who left Ukraine for various reasons. In Rome or Paris, they live as if they are afraid to leave their footprints on the immaculately clean sidewalks. Some are pursuing education and dreaming of finding employment in another country with better conditions; some work in bars, and some imitate Verka Serduchka. Several characters express doubts that they will find decent work here...

In the heart of Kyiv, the ancient Lybid River winds through time, carrying echoes of the city's past, present, and uncertain future. Lybid is a poetic meditation on memory, resilience, and the fragile balance between nature and urban decay. Through intimate reflections and striking contrasts of concrete and water, the film unfolds as a dialogue between the hero, the river, and the city—where history, loss, and hope ripple through the ever-changing flow of life.

In February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the apartment my friend and I were renting in Lviv became a transit point. Friends, acquaintances and strangers were leaving for safer cities in Ukraine and abroad, and we began to host people in our apartment. Some stayed for one night, and some for several. No one stayed for long, but they all left their stories. That's how our home became a shared home.

A documentary about transgender activists and refugees from Ukraine who trying to settle down in Berlin during the full-scale Russian aggression in Ukraine. Activists share their experience of gender transition in Ukraine and face new hardships of forced immigration, however, Hanna starts noticing Kyrylo’s “I’m out of politics” narratives and the conflict between them grows more and more often. Will they manage to find a common language during the most difficult period of their lives?

A documentary about the outstanding Ukrainian philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda. In the company of well-known writers, historians, philosophers, folklorists, psychologists and neurophysiologists, the film's authors carry out a kind of investigation into the mysterious twists and turns of fate in Skovoroda's biography, taking the audience through various places and epochs associated with the formation and work of the philosopher. The film tells about medieval European secret societies, famous mystics and alchemists who were Skovoroda's contemporaries. The authors will reveal the secret of Blaise Pascal's mysterious vision and Socrates' otherworldly "daimon", help to unravel the symbols depicted on the walls of ancient temples, and even allow you to touch the mystical abilities of Indian yogis. Prominent scientists will help to better understand the Frying Pan phenomenon, revealing previously unknown aspects of the human brain.

2022 year. Ukraine. The beginning of the war. People under artillery fire gather in the basement to survive these horrors. Will all of them make it to the next morning?

A utopia of a post-war city that launches a rewilding. The program is an attempt to create a new society where the aims of people do not stand in the way of the aims of other people, trees, rivers, chipmunks, mushrooms…

One guardian angel has got a difficult ward, completely unwilling to take care of himself. He practically throws himself under the wheels of a car while crossing the road in the wrong place, and then drinks exorbitant amounts of alcohol. The heavenly protector drives the man home, holding and protecting him. But should not the person himself think about his future sometimes?

An old man lived with his wife, and they did not have kids. To not be bored, they took a duck found in the woods. They began to look after it, and it turned out that it was not a duck at all, but a young girl, hardworking and caring, which helped the old people to stoke and cook food. But with them, she did not shed her feathers, so they decided to find out everything by themselves.

Little is known of Jean Speck (1860-1933) beyond the fact that he opened Zurich’s first cinema. Rouzbeh Rashidi and Jann Clavadetscher consider the flittering black and white ghosts and shadows that he left in his wake in their phantasmagorical experimental feature film. This journey through a cinematic night probes the very essence of the cinematic image.

The documentary about Ukrainian modernist poet of the 20th century Ihor Kalynets, a long-term political prisoner convicted of poetry. The film depicts his day from the waking moment until the night.

Serhiy Chaharov has fought against corruption in his home village of Hatne near Kyiv since he was 15 years old. His weapons are documents and journalistic texts. During one of the village council's meetings, a councilor whom Serhiy had accused of corruption attacked the activist and publicly threatened him. All the major Ukrainian media wrote about this case. For them, Serhiy is a hero. For some of the village, he is a shame. He receives threats and is advised to "stay away from adult business". And one night, an explosive device is placed in his yard.

The story of the accidental meeting of a couple who, according to all life stereotypes, would never have met. The main character Kit breaks up with a girl, an eccentric young person who does not share his views on life. After a violent and exhausting quarrel, she throws him out of the car right on the move, the circumstances lead the Cat to the hotel. A stranger appears in his field of vision.

Once upon a time the small bridge perched near small town. A lot has changed since then, but the bridge remembers old times and can tell us about it.

A lonely man finds himself in a strange place where everything is planned in advance for his arrival.

An ordinary dictator comes to an ordinary family living a normal life. And... stays.

The girl, who surrounded herself with gadgets and is living according to different superstitions, meets a young man who pulls her out of a personal matrix. Love destroys all obstacles in its path.

The Vertep Imp embarks on a journey through memory, through the darkness of censorship and arrests, to restore the voices of young and audacious dissidents, together with new, unexpected friends.

The level of artistic practice at the AAA Theater, or "Theater of the Primordial Scream", is promisingly illustrated by the only video that has survived: free jazz plays in the background, surreal costumes, and five actors simultaneously experiencing a collective catharsis.

A story about a loser who was able to admit it to himself, and another who couldn't.

The documentary tells the stories of people whose homes were destroyed by the Russian occupiers in order to help Ukrainians rebuild their homes.

Monatik burst into the Ukrainian show business swiftly, triumphantly and as if out of nowhere, immediately starting to make music in quality comparable to European and American samples. The documentary project will tell about the artist's life even before he became famous and the most demanded Ukrainian performer.

Friday is the best time to have fun.

Filming of this documentary began in 1987 and ended in 1989. As archival materials and newsreels were inaccessible, the authors of the film appealed to the Holodomor witnesses through the press. Their stories became the basis of the documentary. Stalin’s supporters tried to prevent the authors from making the film, and it was forgotten for a long time. Only in 2005 the film 33rd. Witnesses’ Testimonies was re-filmed from the newsreels of 1989 version and the memoirs of Mykola Loktionov-Stezenko himself. At his anniversary party at the Cinema House on February 16, 2009, the author called this documentary a testimony to his personal tragedy: his parents died of the Holodomor of 1932–33. For the film 33rd. Witnesses’ Testimonies Mykola Loktionov-Stezenko was awarded the Order of Merit of the III degree.

Fairytales can be a part of our everyday life. This story of cosmic dreamer Leonid Kanter is one of these. He convinced others of the feasibility of his dreams, and he was able to turn his reality and the reality of everyone around him into an incredible adventure. However, an "evil dragon" unexpectedly appeared in his fairytale and its presence changed the course of events.

A married couple of artists is creating a mosaic on the wall of a cultural space in Kyiv. They work in the upcycling technique, drawing inspiration from Kyiv's mosaics made during Soviet times.

Dzidzio, Lesyk and Yulik go to carol singing and sing the traditional folk carol "God is Born". But they are caroling, aiming to earn money in a not entirely honest way. What punishment these three will receive for their speed, the audience will see in this film.

The film is about the demographic and environmental problems of Ukrainian villages. The film shows the resettlement of people from the radioactive contamination zone, the Kremenchuk reservoir, a wedding celebration, a child's baptism, etc.

A short film for “The Invisible Battalion“ film almanac.

Marta, the film's director, faces her fears and digs into the realm of her estranged sister Nastia, a Greek-Catholic nun, to re-evaluate the world they both were brought up in.

A tale of an endless day, the main character of which has to find a peculiar way to deal with the existential challenges of his complicated being. The spirit of Ulysses, wandering on the streets of Kyiv on a stoned autumn evening under the disguise of a postmodernist mad-tale

Television has changed our world. However, do we realize the scope of this metamorphosis? This audiovisual research investigates the first two decades of the mass spreading of Ukrainian television. One of its centers was Lviv, where in 1957, a plant for production of TV equipment was launched, and the first Ukrainian TV-sets branded Lviv were produced.

Arina is about to become an adult. Along the way, she will have to take the entrance exams and face the challenges of making the right choice. But all she can think about is the upcoming summer and Vitia. This is the story about growing up and ability to hear your inner voice.

In 2013, Ukrainian-born filmmaker Damian Kolodiy travelled to his homeland to document the violent insurrection from the streets, chronicling the extreme chaos engulfing Ukraine in a remarkable and intense narrative. With exhaustive research and a powerful unseen archive, this doc will go down in history as the definitive narrative of the Maidan revolution.

A glimpse into the lives of Kyiv children left behind at the city's subway stations.

A square love story about two squares and their angular love in an even edgier world.

After losing their parents, the brother and sister are trapped in a space where each day repeats the pain. Oresya keeps Lukyan under control, fearing losing him just like everything else. The arrival of Katya, a stranger who awakens physical desire in him, disrupts the fragile balance. Lukyan finds himself facing a choice he neither expected nor sought.

Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. On the 24th of February, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. End of April 2022, the residents of Kyiv are trying to maintain habits of peaceful life, but the war continues.

Dangerous, incomprehensible and simply forbidden objects sometimes happen in the adult world. Sometimes, adults themselves can't explain why it's not possible, it's forbidden, and other things in general ... and stop thinking! And for some reason such items are of the greatest interest to the child. But every good thing has a good side. Especially when it falls into the hands of a naive, unspoiled person - a child.

The action takes place in a remote village. The main characters are a married couple and a boy who lives with his grandmother. Locals talk about household chores every day. And at the same time there is a world of unusual, according to my grandmother, young people who enjoy nature and do not see the earthly problems that locals see. For a young couple, this is a new experience and a new life. The young man, an engineer by education, shares with the guy his idea of ​​a unique new home, balanced in functionality and naturalness. And gives advice to the guy on the balance of flight of his plane, which constantly falls at launch. But in a new world of dreams of a young couple comes war - a young man is taken to the anti-terrorist operation zone…

Yanush grew up in a conservative Romani community in a small Ukrainian town. He is about to get married, just what his parents want. However, Yanush is gay and he is in love with another young man, Pasha. Together they decide to sneak away from the wedding and leave town, but can Yanush really do it?

The film is a collage, an essay and a documentary in tribute to an avant-garde artist and writer Vagrich Bakhchanyan. Viewers are immersed in the absurd and bitterly funny universe of the artist, as scholars and friends reflect on his life, enigma and the mystique of his connection with Kazimir Malevich's famous "Black Square" - an inception point of Russian avant-garde.

Meet Kateryna and Volodymyr, whose love for dance persists against all odds. 'Rhythms of Resilience' invites you to witness a story of true resilience. It is an great example of to the unwavering human spirit and the unstoppable power of art. "How is it to be a dancer in a country at war?" - This is the main question that the film tries to answer. It explores the lives, struggles and dreams of a young dancers who refuse to give up their passion despite the violence and chaos around them. This isn't just a story of the past; it's a story of mental health, hope, justice, and a future yet to be written. War may seem distant to some, but its impact knows no boundaries.

Looted by Russian occupational forces between 24 and 26 October 2022, the Kherson Museum of Local Lore used to house Southern Ukraine's largest and oldest collections of antiquities. The museum featured more than 173000 objects, spanning seven thousand years, from Scythian gold to World War II weaponry. Two weeks before Kherson was liberated by the Ukrainians, Russian occupational forces enacted a strategic theft, stripping centuries of Ukrainian history from the museum/region. The sound of shellings and missile strikes was recorded during filming inside the museum on December 12, less than two kilometers away from russian-occupied territory.

Two teenagers made a music video for an international art-group. They just captured a day of their life in the hood using an old handy cam.

Experience from Russia's war against Ukraine and its aftermath in the form of PTSD. An animated film about surviving horror and coming home. First use of neural network animation in a short film along with classic animation.

The director’s granny Zina had lived in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and, after retirement, she moved to Crimea. Cheerful and bossy, she has always been uniting the big family. After the annexation of Crimea by Russia, visiting her has become an endless hustle. The place has turned into ‘a distant planet’, like Mars, and its environment is unfriendly towards the lonely woman. For many reasons, the time has come for her to make a crucial decision.

Twelve-year-old Kir is travelling to a sanatorium in West Ukraine alongside his mother Olga. Surrounded by Carpathian mountains and with new unexpected acquaintances in their lives, each deals with a family trauma and tries to overcome an unresolved grief—the boy’s father, a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier, went missing in the frontline.

The end of the world isn’t a global catastrophe, but an inner sense of total collapse, like for a man who’s lost his job and doubts his wife’s loyalty. In despair, he goes fishing and finds a wounded angel. He takes the angel home on his bicycle and introduces him to his family. But soon after, during a party at a local bar, the angel is accidentally shot by a neighborhood policeman. Based on Gabriel García Márquez’s short story 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings'.

The first Ukrainian adventure detective story. The action takes place in Odesa in 1920, occupied by Denikin's troops. The White Guard counterintelligence conducts a fruitless search for the Bolshevik agent "7+2". The search is led by officer Enger. Dizzying races, disasters, and murders further confuse the agent's trail. It is only with the arrival of the Bolsheviks that the case is solved. Incompletely preserved

When white spots appear on a black background to symbolize light and fire, the battle begins between two principles, traditionally represented by the opposing colors. Their fight is filled with whimsical drawings and designs, and music helps to clearly capture the growing anxiety. But maybe they both will not be able to defeat each other, so it's time to compromise?

Future. The world after the disaster, the people who survived, are predominantly those that dig the remains of the former civilization, and their findings sell or change at roadside markets. The unusual finding family that travels in search of drinking water, transports them to another life.