Hanging out with friends, smoking a lot, spinning bottles and kissing, making mistakes, playing, refusing to accept, dreaming with open eyes - life as a teenager can be overwhelmingly beautiful and difficult at the same time. In her debut, the Ukrainian director composes a deeply emotional and multi-layered portrait of a generation whilst seamlessly flowing between the fictional and the documental.
The video refers to the current protests in Belarus, political struggle and state violence through the discourse of fascism. The topic of fascism and victory over it has for a long time been central to the state ideology of Belarus.
Four short stories are set along the roads of Donbass during the war. There are no safe spaces and no one can make sense of just what is going on. Even as they are trapped in the chaos, some manage to wield authority over others. But in this world, where tomorrow may never come, not everyone is defenseless and miserable. Even the most innocent victims may have their turn at taking charge.
Sasha manages a firm that installs tombstones at the local cemetery. His many customers have all experienced personal tragedies, but he is full of cynicism. One day, Sasha's 14-year-old daughter appears to bring him back into her life.
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 caught. The investigation of the classified object turns into the exploration of the self.
In 1890, in one of the villages of Ukrainian Polissia, a man died under mysterious circumstances. The locals blamed his wife, a young healer, and banished her from the village. When affliction came to the village, people believed they had been cursed by the castaway woman. They discovered she was living in the forest, found her and burned her alive as a witch. But before doing it, they sent a priest to have a final conversation with her.
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.
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.
Once upon a time in the dressing room of the famous Dakh theatre in Kyiv, seven actresses came up with the Dakh Daughters project. At their first solo show, Roses, they presented the world with a contemporary interpretation of the art of cabaret, which, in its absolute carnival freedom, knows how to entertain the public with the most serious topics. At the same time, Ukraine found itself on the threshold of significant change, not just in society, but also in the consciousnesses of thousands of people. The Revolution of Dignity and the war in the East reveal the nuances of the protagonists’ personalities, worldviews, creative reflections.
Train “Kyiv-War“ is a full-length documentary film directed by Korniy Gricyuk. The dramatic history of the Kyiv-Kostyantynivka train, with its passengers` unique fates, pain, memories, secrets, hopes, is a history of today Ukraine. Only 12.5 hours away from peaceful Kyiv is Kostyantynivka, a small industrial city in the eastern part of the country, immediately after which the front begins. This entire time people with different characters, social status, political views, and beliefs are traveling on the train side by side. They talk, debate, even quarrel, but speak to each other and go in a common direction. And what`s important, they all want to get to peace. This film is the voice of ordinary people, the search for dialogue and the path to a common future, where everyone’s voice will be heard.
Military conflict and the death of their father brings the two brothers back home. Grieving mother tries to hide from Stasik the truth about Bodia. Everything would go well, if not for the military mercenaries who come after Bodia's life.
