trailers.fm
trailers.fm / Guide / Documentary + Ukrainian
Ukrainian documentary films
The best 100 of 216
- 1
Maidan
A chronicle of the civil uprising against the regime of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych that took place in Kyiv in the winter of 2013/14. The film follows the progress of the revolution: from peaceful rallies, half a million strong in the Maidan square, to the bloody street battles between protesters and riot police.
- 2
Us, Our Pets and the War
Amid violence and war, Ukrainian citizens are coming together to rescue animals that have been left behind by those forced to flee. From cats and dogs in abandoned buildings to lions and tigers in the nation’s zoos, extraordinary rescue efforts are underway to bring them to safety. The film is a tribute to the very best of the human spirit despite the horrors of war.
- 3
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange
Single mother Anna and her four children live in the front-line war zone of Donbas, Ukraine. While the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, the family is managing to keep their home a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, motivating them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of power the magical world of cinema could have during times of disaster. How to picture war through fiction? For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human.
- 4
Heat Singers
The municipal district heating company from Ivano-Frankivsk has a cultural offer for its employees. To break away from their daily routine, run-down infrastructure and troublesome clients, they may come to sing in the company choir once a week. The folk and patriotic songs they practice at rehearsals become a bridge between the past communist era and the new political and economic reality. They help them to deal with the shock of transformation and simply spend some time together, just like in the good old times.
- 5
The Living Fire
“Lives begin and end, but everything goes back to the earth.” A tour-de-force of cinematography and sound design, this captivating, award-winning documentary looks at three generations of sheepherders in the Carpathian Mountains. While father and son take their flock on their annual journey through the highlands, the 82-year-old widower Vasyl reflects on his past back home. A sublime look at the cycles of life and the waning of tradition.
- 6
Intercepted
A journey through Ukraine that reveals the banality of evil behind the Russian invasion with the shocking juxtaposition of two realities: the Ukrainians who have been suffering and resisting the war violence, and the Russian military, and civilians, who have been perpetrating it.
- 7
Mariupol. Unlost Hope
A testimony to the Russian-Ukrainian war by ordinary people who lived in Mariupol during the first month of the invasion. The film is based on the diaries of Mariupol journalist Nadiya Sukhorukova: she wrote down what she saw around her at that time.
- 8
Songs of Slow Burning Earth
Reflective observations of Ukraine in wartime are interwoven with eye-witness accounts to contemplate the ultimate tragedy: the normalization of war.
- 9
Ukrainian Sheriffs
Driving in their yellow Lada flying its own little Ukrainian flag, they travel from incident to incident – calming an angry neighbor, investigating the discovery of a body, struggling to unfold a stroller and attempting to re-integrate Vova, the freeloader who eats other people’s dogs but actually longs for a normal existence – just like everyone else here. The seasons pass until political developments reach the village by way of the TV screen, sowing separatist discord.
- 10
Timestamp
Despite the war, school life continues in Ukraine, with pupils and teachers striving to continue learning even under constant threat. The film is a mosaic of the everyday lives of teachers and students from different corners of Ukraine.
- 11
Enticing, Sugary, Boundless or Songs and Dances about Death
In a delicate and humane manner, this film touches upon a very serious issue: how to stop fearing death while being in love with life. We talk (and laugh) about this subject with the protagonists of this film, modern geniuses and ordinary people from different parts of the world.
- 12
Home Games
A broken fairytale depicting a crucial moment in the life of Alina, a 20-year-old "million dollar baby" from Kyiv, whose passion for football has a chance of saving her from poverty.
- 13
Life Outside CV
Three stories of interconnection and internegation between creativity and work in modern Ukraine.
- 14
Human with a Stool
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.
- 15
107 Mothers
Lesya has committed a crime of passion which brings her a seven-year sentence in one of Odesa’s women’s correctional facilities. She has just given birth to her first child, and now she is entering a world populated only by women: inmates, nurses and wardens, women of all ages, wives and widows, daughters, sisters, pregnant women, and women with children too. If not for the color of the uniform, it would sometimes be hard to tell who is who.
- 16
Fortress Mariupol. The Last Day at Azovstal
Dmytro Kozatsky with the call sign "Orest", head of the press service of the Azov Battalion (Azov Regiment), has been at the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal since the beginning of the siege of Mariupol by the Russian military after their invasion of Ukraine. On the eve of his exit from the shattered factory, he made a farewell film.
- 17
Da Vinci
The story of the outstanding Ukrainian warrior and freedom fighter Dmytro Kotsyubailo, who took part in the revolution on the Maidan (Kyiv, Ukraine) as an 18-year-old boy, then went to the front to defend the country from the Russians.
- 18
War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
WAR GAME: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 dives into the profound narrative of creation amidst destruction, chronicling how a Ukrainian video game developer’s quest to complete an internationally anticipated sequel becomes a defiant act of resilience and artistry in the face of attack from Russia. In what is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges a video game studio has ever faced, the developers at GSC Game World work under the ravaging conditions of war to bring the highly anticipated game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl to life. As they battle the emotional toll of displacement, personal loss, and political upheaval, they must find the strength and resilience to keep their artistic vision alive. With personal stories of sacrifice, determination, and hope, the film offers a powerful insight into the human toll of conflict and the transformative power of creative expression.
- 19
Ukraïner. The Movie
The story of the everyday life of one of the most unknown countries on the European continent. The film tells the stories of heroes from different parts of Ukraine, their life and life, crafts and art, interesting initiatives and culture. The characters of this film are not interconnected, their worlds are different, however, this difference unites the country.
- 20
Mustache Funk
The early 70s is a golden epoch of our popular music. Hundreds of songs of exquisite beauty. Groundbreaking sound. Futuristic suits. How and whence could all of this emerge in a Soviet socialist republic? How did a brand new music scene, original in sound and philosophy in every way, and at the same time absolutely in sync with global music trends come forth? They weren't that fond of the Soviet label «VIA». And since neither of us is fond of this acronym, let us rechristen this music.
- 21
Against All Odds
Follows the first month of the Russian-Ukrainian war, also features military experts and Ukrainian military leaders.
- 22
ETOS. Shadow of the Wolf
The First Detachment of the 8th Regiment UASOF an elite unit forged through years of combat experience. Through personal narratives, real battlefield chronicles, and symbolic cinematic framing, the film explores not only military operations, but the philosophy of the warrior - his mindset, responsibility, brotherhood, and the choices that define him.
- 23
Free Man. Pilgrimage
This is an incredible story of Valerii Markus (Valerii Ananiev), a paratrooper of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a veteran of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, a blogger, traveler and author of the bestseller book "Footprints on the Road". To somehow structure in his mind the three years he spent in the war, Valerii Markus leaves Paris for the Way of El Camino de Santiago. But will the paratrooper find peace by following the legendary path of the pilgrims? What changes will Valerii get after all that he has gone through and why is he being drawn to another long journey again and again?
- 24
Breaking into Baikonur
The protagonist researcher Dmytro Gromov and the cameraman Angel Angelov are embarking on a dangerous mission: both are planning to cross about 50 km of inhospitable desert in order to illegally enter the protected hangars of Baikonur and watch the launch of the rocket. The heat of the desert reaches almost 47 degrees Celsius. Dehydration, starvation, physical and psychological exhaustion are not the only difficulties on their way to Baikonur. The guys are risking to be arrested and put in jail if they will be spotted by the Russian military forces, since the Cosmodrome is under the legislation of Russian Federation. In such unfavorable circumstances, the protagonist is discovering his own personality traits that he was not aware of before: in vulnerability and fear, he is now inclined to quit his endeavor altogether. The adrenaline of discovery finally overtakes the fear of getting caug
- 25
Brothers in Arms
Brief stories from the Russian-Ukrainian war, collected by three volunteers who have been travelling along the frontline with humanitarian cargoes for more than four years.
- 26
Real
Documentary footage shot in the summer of 2023 by Oleh Sentsov, when his APC was hit by the enemy. Sentsov found himself in a nearby trench and, using radio communication, organized the evacuation of his unit, which was under fire, with ammunition running out. This operation was nicknamed "Real".
- 27
Wolf. No Fear
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.
- 28
Follow Me
The film tells the story of a married couple of civilians who came under intense fire from the enemy Russian army in the Izyum region in their car. The 93rd "Kholodny Yar" military brigade, not having the opportunity to safely approach Ukrainian civilians, conducted an unprecedented rescue operation with the help of drones. The plot is based on real events.
- 29
Russification in pop style
A documentary about how Russia has been using popular culture as a weapon against Ukraine for decades. Together with industry participants, the film's narrator, musician Albert Tsukrenko, explores the financial, political and psychological reasons for the vulnerability of Ukrainian artists and reflects on how to break this vicious circle. Unfortunately, our own Ukrainian talents are becoming the ammunition in this weapon. Several generations of original Ukrainian musicians at different times in the 1970s and 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and 2010s switched from Ukrainian to Russian in their work. Whether willingly or unwittingly, they became tools of Russian show business, which has always sought to blur the cultural border between Russia and Ukraine and worked to promote the imperial myth of "one nation".
- 30
Malanka and Christmas
The film captures the celebration of Malanka just a month before the full-scale Russian invasion and the first Christmas in the newly de-occupied territories of Ukraine’s Slobozhanshchyna and Donechchyna. The film consists of two parts, combined into one film previously released by Ukraïner: the full-length "Christmas Together" and the short "Malanka. To Save Home".
- 31
Attention: Children
It's a kaleidoscope of children's lives, emotions and dreams during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The children will try to survive and overcome the traumas caused by the war by talking through and immersing their memories.
- 32
Fortress Mariupol. Intro
The capture of Mariupol by the Russian army was one of the tragic consequences of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. A girl with the call sign "Nava", who worked in the press service of the Azov regiment and is in the besieged Azovstal by the invaders, reads her verse under documentary footage of evidence of the destruction of Mariupol by the Russians.
- 33
Ukrainian Independence
The film’s events take place on a single day: August 24, 2022, the day Ukraine celebrates the 31st anniversary of the renewal of independent statehood. The film combines places and people that best capture the country’s wartime spirit. The locations are: the relatively safe cities of Kyiv and Lviv; the cities under daily missile fire of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv; a trench at the frontlines near Donetsk; and the beaches of Odesa. The film presents a day in the life of a beach police patrol, a woman anti-tank missile operator, a water delivery driver, a mortar unit soldier, a rapid assault unit soldier, a 14-year-old pub janitor, an artist and a former member of parliament. Together, these people and places create an engaging mosaic of a day in the life of Ukraine.
- 34
Sanatorium
Despite a war raging close by, mud treatments and electroshock therapies continue at Kuyalnik Sanatorium, an enormous 1970s brutalist building on the shores of Odesa, where a small group search for love, healing, and happiness.
- 35
The Hardest Hour
The unique testimony of the tragic events and crimes of russia through the eyes of Ukrainians, which the entire world must see and feel. Film was created from 200 hours of chronicles: survival, resistance, and life during the war. Every minute was filmed by Ukrainians with their mobile phones. Each story in the documentary is a film captured and filmed by Ukrainians on their devices.
- 36
V. Silvestrov
There is a rumor in the Kyiv musical community: once upon a time, in private conversation, Queen Elizabeth II mentioned Valentyn Silvestrov as one of her favorite composers of the modern age. The Royal Press Office hasn’t confirmed it, so no one knows for sure. But the stature of Silvestrov justifies this rumor. Highly respected by the world’s best music professionals, he remains a mystery for a wide audience. The documentary is far from a traditional biopic about a prominent person. It is an observation, a confession and, most of all, a story of great talent set against the backdrop of uncertain times.
- 37
Five Finals
A documentary about the Ukrainian National Football Team, nearly completed before the war, was set for release on March 18 in Ukrainian cinemas. However, on February 24, the server containing 75% of the film was in a hot spot. The film chronicles the team’s journey to qualify for the World Cup 2022 play-offs. After a poor start, head coach Andriy Shevchenko resigned, and Olexandr Petrakov, with a successful youth coaching background, was appointed. The team, with no margin for error or time for preparation, faces five crucial games, each akin to a final.
- 38
Spring-Summer
Through exclusive archival footage and interviews from some of the industry greats, the documentary explores the fashion history of independent Ukraine, starting in the chaotic and crime-ridden 1990s and concluding with the war torn 2020s.
- 39
Time Machine Maidan
In this haunting and visually inventive documentary, a spectral voice drifts through time and memory to trace the Maidan revolution and the roots of resistance in Ukraine.
- 40
Dialogues on Dignity
The heroes of the film are four completely different people, each living his own life. But what unites them is dignity. Human dignity, dignity as citizens of Ukraine, dignity as contemporaries who want to live here and now, despite the fact that society is not quite ready to perceive them completely as they are. because they are gay. The film is based on the conversation of the four heroes of the film, as well as on the own thoughts of thought leaders. They are talking about how and what the Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014 and the fighting in Donbas affected the heroes themselves, their sense of dignity, as well as how society has changed its opinion about the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine.
- 41
UKE
The authors showcase unique information that disproves previously held stereotypes. It turns out that the roots of Ukrainian hockey go back over a century. Ukrainian hockey players from immigrant families gained world fame while playing for
- 42
Flowers of Ukraine
When greedy property developers attempt to force the feisty 67-year-old Natalia off her small plot of land – a garden oasis in the midst of an apartment complex in Kyiv – she fights back, refusing to be defeated. When her entire country is subsequently invaded by ruthless land-grabbing individuals, her rebellious fight only grows stronger in spirit.
- 43
Teachers. Holidays in the Occupation
During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the spring of 2022, Russian troops occupied the suburbs of the capital for more than a month. This film is dedicated to the educators of the Kyiv region, who did not despair even under shelling, enemy control, and the constant threat to their lives. The viewer will travel through the educational institutions of Hostomel, Irpin, Bucha and Vorzel, to become acquainted with those, who hold, and will be holding in their hands the future of our country.
- 44
Eurodonbas
Throughout time, Eastern Ukraine (such as Donbas) has been referred to as a 'Russian world', but this is indeed not the case. The history of Donbas was re-written during the Soviet era. Although the Soviet Union edited out and withheld all references to the European background of this region from history books in schools and universities. There were, in fact, numerous French, Belgian, German, British, Polish, Swiss, Dutch, and even American settlements and more than 100 wide-scale enterprises in the region. Therefore, this film reveals the pro-European industrialization of Ukrainian Donbas at the turn of the 19th century. It aims to emphasize the European roots of Ukraine long before the official integration process of Ukraine into the EU in 2022.
- 45
Lagoons. Battle for Paradise
Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park is a nature reserve on the Black Sea. It’s the nursery for fish and dolphins, kingdom of birds, a land of rare plants and endangered animals. For many years, park protectors led by Ivan Rusev and Iryna Vykhrystiuk have been fighting for the preservation of the Lagoons.
- 46
Ruthenia. Restoring the Nation's Code
The documentary shows the history of the emergence of writing in Europe and the creation of a unique Ukrainian font.
- 47
Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
Personal stories from civilians, children, soldiers, doctors, the country’s elderly, journalists, religious leaders, and international volunteers - a handful of the millions of people whose lives have been turned upside-down by nine years (and counting) of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
- 48
True Rus
A story about how the Golden Horde ulus of Muscovy became known as the Kyiv state - Kyivan Rus. And the Ugric-Finnish tribes became known as Slavs. The final battle that would ultimately divide the West and the East. The battle for Ukraine, for its history, for its truth.
- 49
DakhaBrakha: On the Road
The film reveals the phenomenon of one of the most famous Ukrainian bands in the world.
- 50
Izyum. Freed
The documentary chronicles the humanitarian crisis in Izyum during its occupation, where over a thousand civilians perished due to minefields and shelling. The film highlights the destruction of the city, lack of basic utilities, and the presence of looters. It also reveals the existence of a prison for Ukrainian activists and the fear among residents. The documentary underscores Izyum’s strategic importance, as noted by the Institute for the Study of War. It includes footage of significant sites like Izyum School No. 4, St. George’s Hermitage, and mass graves.
- 51
Ivan and Marta
Ivan Dziuba - literary critic, public figure, academician of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine - belongs to the "sixties". He fully takes care of all the miscalculations and unfulfilled promises of his generation. Reflects on why the illusions were lost and why so few dreams came true ... Let's see and listen to him with his wife Martha, a Lviv woman who was his guardian angel. Together - all life. Exactly as they are, the right is the definition - the conscience of the nation.
- 52
Jordan in Lviv
Part of the film Lviv Speaks (1958) edited by Bohdan Soluk. The traditional Jordanian blessing of water takes place on Rynok Square near the well opposite Terletsky's pharmacy with the participation of UGCC Bishop Ivan Buchko, surrounded by members of the Lviv chapter and clergy. Among many others, the film shows the famous Ukrainian statesman Kost Levytskyi (in 1918 he was the Prime Minister of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic), Volodymyr Tselevych, a lawyer, ambassador to the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic of the II, IV, and V cadences, a member of the Ukrainian National Democratic Union (UNDO), and Stepan Bilyak, a lawyer and secretary of the Ukrainian National Council (1918-1919).
- 53
Weaving Way
A full, bright, and inspiring documentary about folk weaving as a part of the Ukrainian cultural heritage. Is a story about Ukrainian identity, understood through the aesthetics of various weaving products and their use in rituals. The film consists of 8 novel-episodes, each of which tells about a variety of folk weaving (“Polotno”, “Rushnyk”, “Namitka”, “Plakhta and obhortka”, “Kraika”, “Lizhnik”, “Gunia”, “Kylym”).
- 54
The Last Prometheus of Donbas
These are captured moments from the life of a Ukrainian industrial giant from the East, which no longer exists due to the Russian offensive. A story of heroic energy workers at the last operating power plant in eastern Ukraine, only 10 km from the frontline. Under constant shelling, they risk their lives to keep the lights on until the plant's destruction and forced evacuation, echoing historical parallels from 1941.
- 55
Divia
The film explores the catastrophic influence of Russian invasion on nature in Ukraine. This is a journey from the harmonious life of nature to the fiery whirl of war which burns out the earth, forests and all flesh. As the spring comes, nature revives and brings new life among animals despite the irreversible damage. Yet the tremendous scope of the tragedy deprives us of hope for immediate natural recovery and cleaning of the remains of war.
- 56
Felix
The historical documentary film Felix tells the story of a Ukrainian hero who was an aerial reconnaissance man. The project combines authentic accounts of the formation of Ukraine's independence, from 1991 to the present day. The film reveals all the key events that encourage the viewer to reflect on the cost of the people's struggle for independence from the appetites of Muscovy for centuries and continues to defend it to this day.
- 57
Dovecotes of Kyiv
From late 1940s to late 1980s, doves were an obsession for boys in Kyiv. This is a film about how a hobby from childhood becomes a meaning of life.
- 58
This Rain Will Never Stop
This Rain Will Never Stop takes the audience on a powerful, visually arresting journey through humanity’s endless cycle of war and peace. The film follows 20-year-old Andriy Suleyman as he tries to secure a sustainable future while navigating the human toll of armed conflict. From the Syrian civil war to strife in Ukraine, Andriy’s existence is framed by the seemingly eternal flow of life and death.
- 59
Volunteers
Film follows two volunteers - Rodion and Ivan, who bring help to Ukrainian soldiers in Eastern Ukraine's front line.
- 60
Boney Piles
Nastya was ten when a missile fired by Russian terrorists on New Year's Eve changed her life forever. It took her father's life and destroyed their house. Nastya's school is only in 500 meters from the front line. War has become commonplace. Just a part of the landscape. The only means for Nastya's family to survive is the scrap metal they scavenge while under fire. Senya is seven years old. He is a first-grader. In the seven years of his life, he has seen seven years of war and not a day of peace. Senya likes to climb on the boney pile to watch the sunset. His stepfather dig graves to earn money for a new suit and backpack for Senya. This is a film about the children who live in the war zone in Ukraine.
- 61
The Invasion
A comprehensive chronicle of the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. How citizens live in wartime, how violence and death condition daily life: from schools in bomb shelters to rehabilitation centers for the maimed; wounds and silences, gestures and words.
- 62
Immigraniada
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...
- 63
The "Ryfy" Case
The film covers the period from 1939 to 1963 and reveals the circumstances surrounding the arrest, imprisonment, and release of Josyf Slipyj, which are not widely known to the general public.
- 64
No Second Take
In the past, Natalia is a documentary director and film producer, and now she is the head of the air reconnaissance unit of the 112th separate brigade of territorial defense with the call sign "Angel". On the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she changed her profession and went to the front with her son. In a fairly short time, she assembled her own unit. Its composition is also mostly creative people: former cameramen, sound engineers, gaffers. Everything is like on a film set. But now they are shooting a different movie, where there is no second take.
- 65
Mariinka
In Eastern Ukraine, childhood neighbors find their lives violently derailed by a shifting frontline. Natasha, a promising boxing talent, becomes a military paramedic. Angela, who lost her parents at a young age, survives by moving goods to both sides of the front. Caught in a modern Greek tragedy, brothers Mark and Ruslan now fight on opposite sides – against each other. In the safety of his adoptive family in the United States, their youngest brother Daniil follows the war from afar.
- 66
Kalinindorf
In the middle of the steppes of Kherson region lies a railway station called Kalinindorf. In 1927 the "all-Union elder" Mikhail Kalinin came here to establish the Jewish national district. To honor this event the inhabitants of Velyka Seidemynukha renamed their village to Kalinindorf. Today Kalinindorf has a neutral name Kalynivske. Only ruins of the ancient synagogue remind us of Jewish collective farms. As well as the director of the local museum, who keeps preserving the history of these lands.
- 67
parrot, death, and a piano
Imagine if you combine stand-up with music. All the words become more sensitive, sharper, funnier. Imagine if you add a little bit of tragedy to stand-up, which contains jokes, irony, hyperbole, absurdity, and Christmas. Reflected. Close to many people. And now imagine that Vasyl Baidak is responsible for the words in this performance, and INGRET is responsible for the music. Exactly what you need. like the present. both funny and hard. but it will get easier.
- 68
Blind Game
Stories about professional Paralympic athletes, veterans who play sports, and ordinary people with disabilities. About how these people go through life and, thanks to sports, become a little happier, transform themselves, and feel more confident.
- 69
Call Sign Zenit
The face of the front line, the face of Ukraine's recent war history. The detailed truth about how soldiers live and fight.
- 70
Tales of a Toy Horse
In his own way, Anatoli Ljutuk is a legend of Tallinn's Old Town - a man from Western Ukraine who has built a unique world on Laboratory Street, the main core of which is the Ukrainian Cultural Center and Church. There, he engages in calligraphy, makes paper in a medieval way, carves traditional wooden toys in his workshop and makes books in the spirit of old monasteries. According to the oath taken a quarter of a century ago, he has promised to create something good every day. His daily commitment is challenged by the war that broke out in Ukraine, which Anatoly cannot passively ignore.
- 71
Yours Vasyl
Vasyl Stus dreamed of engaging in literature, not politics; to be a famous poet, not a dissident. But the Soviet special services and the CPSU pushed him to a point of no return. How did such a transformation take place? What was "Yours Vasyl" really like?
- 72
Krasna Malanka
Krasna Malanka is a story about people from Romanian village Krasna on the territory of Ukraine, which are getting prepared for the Malanka holiday. This holiday is a landmark event for everybody in Krasna, especially for young men, for them it's the main initiation in life. Malanka is a carnival, a queer pagan show where everyone has his own part.
- 73
Those Who Are Faithful
History of the Prohibition and Legalization of the Largest Persecuted Church of the XX Century. After the violent liquidation in 1946, the faithful of the UGCC maintained their faith underground for 43 years. The underground survived Stalin, Khrushchev, and Gorbachev to reborn in 1989. The ribbon heroes who exited the UGCC from the catacombs live in Ukraine and Russia, their fates closely intertwined with the history of the Church and the epoch.
- 74
Documents of the Era
Unique chronically documentary due to some rare footage with the activists of the Ukrainian revolution: Hermann von Eichhorn, the supreme commander of the German troops, walks along Kyiv railway station shortly before his assassination, hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky sets a generous table for his allies, Volodymyr Vynnychenko and Symon Petliura freeze in the January frost near the St. Sophia's Cathedral, Mikhail Muravyov's units pass through Kyiv, Christian Rakovsky greets the Red Army soldiers in Kharkiv, the People's Commissar for Education and the proponent of Ukrainisation of the 1920s Mykola Skrypnyk speaks from a rostrum.
- 75
Time to the Target
While Ukraine is fighting, how does it affect the rear? For a year and a half, Vitaly Mansky has portrayed his hometown of Lviv, where everyone’s existence is shaped by the Russian missiles’ flight time to their targets.
- 76
Odesans in the Donbas
The main characters of the film are residents of Odesa who took part in hostilities in the anti-terrorist operation zone. Dmytro Olehovych, Yevhen Tytarenko, Roman Koldomasov, Yevhen Lata, Andriy Skorokhod, Viktor Pogodin, Dmytro Vasyliev. They are all very different, and everyone has their own reasons for going to the front. Everyone has their own "military history". Someone suffered severe moral and physical injuries. And someone even managed to find in the difficulties they had to go through, additional motivation for life and creativity. Someone is ready to return to the anti-terrorist operation zone and continue the struggle. And someone will never see their hometown again.
- 77
Soft power. Move Europe
Director, choreographer, actress, singer – the usual professional roles for the heroines of this film stopped working at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Like millions of Ukrainian men and women, who were saving themselves and their loved ones and volunteering. Creative pursuits returned later, but now in a new dimension. Iryna, Olena, Oksana, and Maryna became the voices that tell the world about Ukrainians, their culture and their struggle for freedom. But how can one be heard in a world where Russian propaganda has been spread for centuries?
- 78
9 Lives
The volunteers who risked their lives to rescue animals from the areas that were abandoned in the wake of the Russian invasion.
- 79
To Dance is to Resist
Queer couple Jay and Vol'demar find strength and community in Kyiv's underground rave scene, where dance becomes both survival and resistance in the face of war.
- 80
Glyadyelov. Focus On Infinity
The film tells the story of the renowned Ukrainian documentary photographer, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, while also introducing Ukraine, Ukrainians, and their difficult journey from their soviet past to the current bloody struggle for their freedom to the world.
- 81
When Spring Came to Bucha
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.
- 82
This Is Also Ukraine
Daria, Hanna, Kira, Olexa, Rost, Sasha, Vlada, Vlada, Vesna, and Zakhar are ten teenagers who like Radiohead, making art, swimming, dating, watching films, and hanging out with their friends. They also live close to the front line.
- 83
The Borderline. Hrubieszow Operation
Two warriors of the guerrilla movements, the one from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the other from the Polish Home Army (AK), narrate on the atrocities of German and Soviet occupation in 1939-1946, argue about the mutual harms of the past, and reveal what made them unite after all they've been through.
- 84
Treat/Punish
The film tells the story of two people: a rural boy who was a projectionist, showed films in village clubs, played the accordion masterfully, and was the life of the party; and a criminal who spent 20 years in prison for murder and robbery and is to die in prison. They both contracted tuberculosis 60 years apart, while in prison.
- 85
Divisional Live
The combination of poetry, music and visual imagery creates a new organic body which audience look closely to. The film-concert and adaptation of the performance "RozdIlovI" (aka Divided or Divisional) - a cult multidisciplinary project of the art agency ArtPole.
- 86
The Ukrainians: Battle for Donetsk Airport
Documentary about specific phases of the battle for the Donetsk airport and about the hero-fighters of the Ukrainian Volunteer corps in Pisky. The film presents the war in extreme focus – adrenaline, humor, pain, anguish, and courage are tightly packed into 82 minutes of screen time. It shows scenes of the battle, evacuation of the wounded, the capture of the new airport terminal, and civilians, who live near the fighting’s epicenter. It features death and frontline humor, and a bit of philosophical discussions as well.
- 87
Novorossiya
Brand new film from the Ukrainian eastern fronts of Donetsk and Luhansk where the Russian army and pro-Russian separatists had been waging a war against Ukraine even before Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
- 88
Shut the Fuck Up!
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.
- 89
A Portrait on the Background of Mountains
This is a story about the mysterious connection between the present and the past, as reflected in the photo negatives discovered by chance.
- 90
Elevation
Vasyl is a former ski jumper, who now works as a coach at the ski jumping school for children in the Carpathians. He is a loner, and sports is his whole life. Zhenya is Vasyl's favorite trainee. For five years he spent lots of energy making her a champion. With her success, his dreams can come true. When the girl grows up, she decides to try in another area of life not connected to sports. Vasyl's work seems to no longer make sense. But he finds the strength to start all over again.
- 91
Tangible Freedom
A short form documentary about five ordinary Ukrainians who were taken hostage in occupied Luhansk.
- 92
Iron Butterflies
This lesson in political revelation focuses on the shooting down of the Malaysian passenger jet MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. A meticulous, investigative exposé that lays bare the mechanisms of Russian warfare.
- 93
Stars on the Earth
A documentary-observation of 16 children creating their own fairy tale during a 15-day inclusive film art workshop at the "Dzherelo" Rehabilitation Center.
- 94
Searching for Nika
Returning to Kyiv to search for his missing dog during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, director Stas Kapralov documents his journey as he joins forces with volunteers and becomes part of a movement to rescue animals caught in the crossfire of war.
- 95
Infinity According to Florian
90-year-old architect Florian Yuriev is facing the destruction of his magnum opus: an avant-garde concert hall set to be repurposed as a shopping mall. Florian confronts the powerful real estate developer behind this investment project, and uses his visionary ideas to capture an unlikely victory. This is an architectural documentary with infusions of science fiction and horror film.
- 96
Freedom or Death!
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.
- 97
Break the Circle
A documentary that tells the stories of women, each of whom changes their lives based on the cycle of violence. But these changes are a long and difficult process of self-working. From calling the police, living in a shelter to returning to themselves, women dare to go this way for themselves and their children.
- 98
Cry, My River
If a river could speak, it would probably say: «I'm sick of your negligence of a self-proclaimed «lord of nature». You are actually helpless. Fear turns you against one another when the weather forecast mentions a tsunami. This calamity has long been in your heads. What else explains the fact that you're cutting down forests on slopes, which can deter a flood, and draining swamps, which can retain water and regulate climate, and then dying by thousands because of the impact of floods and droughts?
- 99
The Ukrainian Argument
The collective portrait of the rank-and-file creators of the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014 and their individual opponents consists of many interviews with supporters and opponents of the Maidan, with the help of which modern history is impartially recorded. Sincere stories of completely different people on both sides of the barricades, different opinions, goals and hopes.
- 100
Lifer
The heroes of the film, a father and a son, seem to have lost their sense of time. Their life flows day by day, from one year to the next. They are separated by space and united by love. Two individuals, who may never see each other again.