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The theme of this year’s festival is Reflections. This theme speaks about a search for oneself in challenging times, self-reflection and self-determination, the recognition of our past, and the acceptance of a present composed of countless fragments.
This year, we dive into the majestic past of Ukrainian cinema and celebrate the 130th anniversary of Oleksandr Dovzhenko by watching his masterpiece Earth, accompanied by a contemporary score created by the acclaimed Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha. We acknowledge our painful losses and honour the heroism and resilience of the Ukrainian people as we follow the story of the main character in Volodymyr Sydko’s film Mission 200. In Oksana Karpovych’s conceptual documentary Intercepted, we confront the enemy as it attempts to occupy Ukraine.
A selection of short films from the KISFF festival showcases the works of young authors who contemplate the fate of millions of Ukrainians forced to temporarily leave their homes. Maryna Er Gorbach’s powerful drama Klondike bravely portrays the catastrophe of the downing of Malaysian flight MH17 over the Donetsk region, depicting the lives of those who found themselves at the epicentre of this tragedy.
The films in this year’s Ukrainian Film Festival programme present vivid portraits of Ukrainians — tired, angry, bereaved, but always resilient and determined to keep fighting for their freedom.
The 2024 Ukrainian Film Festival is curated by the Ukrainian Institute London’s Programme Curator, Olga Sydorushkina, and is supported by Curzon, Jaguar Building Services, SAY Property, Principle Clean, Bidvest Noonan, and Rapport. The programme is supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. It is proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by The National Lottery.
19 September 2024 | 6:20pm
Director: Maryna Er Gorbach
Genre: Drama Year: 2022 Duration: 100 min
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 18+
July 2014. Expectant parents Irka and Tolik live in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, disputed territory in the early days of the Donbas war. Their nervous anticipation of their first child’s birth is violently disrupted by the nearby crash of flight MH17, which elevates the forbidding tension enveloping their village. The looming wreckage of the downed airliner, and an incoming parade of mourners, emphasise the surreal trauma of the moment. As Tolik’s separatist friends expect him to join their efforts, Irka’s brother is enraged by suspicions that the couple has betrayed Ukraine. Irka refuses to be evacuated even as the village gets captured by armed forces, and she tries to make peace between her husband and brother by asking them to repair their bombed house.
Followed by a Q&A with the actress Oksana Cherkashyna.
20 September 2024 | 6:20pm
Director: Volodymyr Sydko
Genre: Documentary Year: 2024 Duration: 62 min
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 18+
The remarkable journey of Tetiana, a Ukrainian woman whose life takes an extraordinary turn during Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine. Once a successful businesswoman, she puts her life on hold to become a modern-day Charon, transporting the bodies of fallen soldiers. Tetiana navigates dangerous terrains in her car, and retrieves fallen Ukrainian defenders from morgues in war-torn cities. Each trip, spanning up to 1,300 km, is an arduous experience, filled with constant danger and sleep deprivation. During every mission she captures photographs of the fallen soldiers, aiding grieving families in identifying their loved ones, confronting her own inner wounds and struggling to reconcile the changes the war has wrought upon her. The film demonstrates the indomitable spirit of an ordinary woman turned guardian of the fallen. It showcases her enduring resilience and the profound impact she has on the lives of grieving families — and her own injured soul.
Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
21 September 2024 | 3:00pm
Over 6 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded globally, and almost 5 million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war, making it the largest displacement crisis since World War II. The films of this programme delve into the emotional landscapes of those forced to flee the ravages of war, capturing the essence of starting anew against one’s will, and the challenges of adapting to a new reality while preserving one’s roots.
Curators: Sasha Prokopenko and Olga Gusiatynska, KISFF.
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 15
In Paris No One Thinks about Tomorrow
Dir. Andrii Kokura, 14 mins
Guests from Kharkiv
Dir. Halyna Lavrynets, 20 mins
I Stumble Every Time I Hear from Kyiv
Dir. Daryna Mamaisur, 17 mins
As It Was
Dir. Damian Kocur and Anastasiia Solonevych, 15 mins
One Aloe, One Ficus, One Avocado and Six Dracaenas
Dir. Marta Smerechynska, 8 mins
Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil
Dir. Karolina Uskakovych, 15 mins
Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
21 September 2024 | 6:00pm
Director: Oksana Karpovych
Genre: Documentary Year: 2024 Duration: 95 min
Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles
Age rating: 18+
Ukrainian intelligence services have intercepted thousands of phone calls Russian soldiers made from the battlefield in Ukraine to their families and friends in Russia, painting a stark picture of the cruelty of war in a dizzying emotional tension. Juxtaposed with images of the destruction caused by the invasion and the day-to-day life of the Ukrainian people who resist and rebuild, the voices of the Russian soldiers — ranging from being filled with heroic illusions to complete disappointment and loss of reason, from looting to committing more horrible war crimes, from propaganda to doubt and disillusionment — expose the whole scope of the dehumanising power of war and imperialist nature of the Russian aggression.
Followed by a Q&A with the director.
22 September 2023 | 3:00pm
Director: Oleksandr Dovzhenko
Genre: Drama Year: 1930 Duration: 83 min
Language: Silent film with intertitles
Age rating: 12
Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s Earth is the most renowned Ukrainian film and a masterpiece of world cinema. It was named one of the top ten silent films by The Guardian and The Observer. This avant-garde film was banned just nine days after its release in the USSR and received recognition in Ukraine only after Dovzhenko’s death.
The film depicts a Ukrainian village on the brink of collectivisation. Vasyl, the leader of the activist youth, strives to involve the villagers in the collective farm movement while awaiting a technological marvel: a tractor, symbolising the new era. Dovzhenko transforms the story of class struggle into a universal philosophical parable about life and death.
The musical score is composed and performed by the band DakhaBrakha, commissioned by the Dovzhenko Centre.
