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Ukraine has astounded the world with its defiance, resistance and unity. Those qualities were not cultivated overnight; they are rooted in Ukraine’s history and culture.
Ukraine Defiant, curated by the Ukrainian Institute London, showcases contemporary Ukrainian cinema – daring, challenging and unafraid of showing the reality of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. We turn to Ukraine’s culture and cinema to understand the country’s complex past and discover its multifaceted identity.
We invite you to explore the story of a country tempered by challenges, yet full of resilience and determination to stand for its independence. We invite you to see Ukraine Defiant.
£12 tickets available for displaced Ukrainians. Please email info@ukrainianinstitute.org.uk to receive a discount code.
Festival programmer, Alla Dryzhak.
Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
Director: Valentyn Vasyanovych
Genre: Drama Year: 2022 Duration: 108 min
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 18+
Donbas, Eastern Ukraine, in 2025. A desert unsuitable for human habitation. Serhiy, an ex soldier suffering from PTSD, struggles to adapt to his new reality: a life in pieces, a land in ruins. When the smelter he works at shuts down, he joins the volunteer Black Tulip mission dedicated to exhuming war corpses. Can this unexpected way of coping lead to a different future?
Followed by an online Q&A with the film director, Valentyn Vasyanovych.
Director: Taras Tomenko
Genre: Documentary Year: 2022 Duration: 80 min
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 18+
Living near the frontline, children find their playgrounds in bombed-out houses. Despite the devastating effect of the war on their lives, they continue to dream and play. Nastya was six when three missiles fired by the Russian army hit her house on New Year’s Eve. She survived but lost her father, her home and her childhood. For her and her friends, the war has become something commonplace, like the landscape outside the window. Yet, Nastya holds onto her dreams.
London Premiere. Followed by an online Q&A with the film director, Taras Tomenko.
Director: Alina Gorlova
Genre: Documentary Year: 2020 Duration: 102 min
Language: Kurdish / Arabic / Ukrainian / Russian / German with English subtitles
Age rating: 12A
Fleeing the Syrian civil war, Andriy and his Kurdish family start a new life in a small town in Eastern Ukraine, only to be caught up in another war. Following Andriy back to his homeland, the documentary takes the viewer on a journey from Ukraine to Iraq, Syria and Germany, featuring war zones, military parades, humanitarian missions, refugee camps, and a variety of cultural and religious customs.
Followed by an in-person conversation with the film director, Alina Gorlova.
Director: Kateryna Gornostai
Genre: Drama Year: 2022 Duration: 122 min
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 12A
Festival Closing Film – dedicated to thousands of displaced Ukrainian youth, as a hopeful memory of a peaceful home.
16-year-old Masha sees herself as an outsider unless she hangs around with Yana and Senia who share her non-conformism. While navigating the challenges of her pre-graduation school year, Masha falls in love, which brings her not only emotional turmoil but a self-discovery. “If you don’t dare, you will never know”.
Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and a Ukrainian DJ Mingulitka set afterparty.
