Mavka: The Forest Song (2023)
Directed by Oleh Malamuzh and Oleksandra Ruba
Following an eight-year anticipation, this animated masterpiece has finally arrived, and it was well worth the wait. Mavka draws inspiration from Lesya Ukrainka's play The Forest Song and is deeply rooted in Ukrainian folklore. Thanks to masterful computer animation, the breathtaking landscapes and enchanting creatures come to life. The story revolves around Mavka, a young girl and guardian of the forest, tasked with keeping the greatest threat at bay: humans. As a metaphor for the current state of affairs, it is both timely and poignant
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at Cinema ZED (Leuven, October 2023)
Plemya / The Tribe (2014)
Directed by Myroslav Slaboshpytski
This film is entirely in sign language, and without spoken dialogues or subtitles. Sergey, a deaf teenager, goes to a specialized boarding school and gets involved in the world of organized crime, gaining notoriety as he takes part in several heists. However, everything changes when he meets Anna, the girlfriend of the gang leader, breaking the unspoken rules of the group. A daring cinematic experiment.
Home Games (2018)
Directed by Alisa Kovalenk
This documentary follows Alina throughout her soccer season. Growing up in poverty on the outskirts of Kyiv, soccer might just be her ticket to a better life. Her life then takes a turn when she is actually scouted for the Ukrainian national team. However, tragedy strikes as her mother passes away, leaving behind two younger siblings. Alina faces a heart-wrenching choice: soccer or family.
Evge / Homeward (2019)
Directed by Nariman Alie
After losing his eldest son in the war, Mustafa embarks on a challenging journey to transport his son's body back to their homeland, Crimea. This task knows many obstacles, among others his attempt to reconnect with his youngest son. Their views on religion, tradition, and identity collide, with the father being a Crimean Tatar and a devout Muslim, while his son has assimilated into city life in Kyiv as a student.
Donbass (2018)
Directed by Sergei Loznitsa
Donbass is based on user-generated content: thirteen YouTube videos captured on mobile phones by residents of Eastern Ukraine. Director Sergei Loznitsa, one of Ukraine's leading filmmakers, selected and recreated these stories with both professional actors and ordinary residents from the region. The result is an absurd yet dark comedy portraying daily life in the separatist territories of Donetsk and Luhansk. The film earned the Best Director award at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival
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Atlantis (2019)
Directed by Valentyn Vasyanovyc
According to this eerily prophetic film, in 2025, the Ukraine-Russia war has ended. Eastern Ukraine lies in ruins and practically uninhabitable. Former soldier Sergey lives in isolation, struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. One day, he meets two volunteers on a mission to recover the bodies of fallen soldiers. Sergey decides to join them. In a world where the future seems unimaginable, the past must first find its place.
Sluga naroda / Servant of the People (2017)
Directed by Aleksey Adolfovitsj Kirjusjtsjenko
The current Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, began his career as a comedian, actor, and author. He even voiced the Ukrainian version of the bear in both Paddington-films. In 2015, he took on the role of Vasyl Holoborodko in the satirical TV series Servant of the People, a critique of corruption and poor government management. Zelensky plays the character of Wassil Holoborodko, a history teacher that rises to the presidency - a choice that may not have been made without the Russian invasion. All three seasons of the series and the eponymous spin-off film from 2017 are available on Netflix
