The full-scale war has thrown filmmakers into old-new challenges: a lack of resources and a shortage of personnel. The once-joking phrase about the “female face” of the Ukrainian film industry takes on a new meaning — with more and more male professionals mobilized, it is women who are left to keep the industry running.
It is in this context that we propose a discussion with women directors about the so-called female gaze in Ukrainian cinema, as well as the differences in approaches and the sensitivity to diverse experiences. The conversation will be moderated by Alyona Shylova, film journalist and creator of the YouTube channel Femme Fatale Heels.
🎤 This event will take place in Ukrainian, with no English translation provided.
This event is part of the ‘Women* in film‘ and ‘Celebrate diversity‘ sections of the festival.
This program is supported by Heinrich Boell Foundation, Kyiv Office - Ukraine.
SPEAKERS
Zhanna Ozirna
a Ukrainian film director and screenwriter, a member of the Ukrainian Film Academy and Directors’ Guild, and a Berlinale Talents 2020 alumna. She co-wrote the Polish-Ukrainian series The Unspoken and developed her debut feature Lower Horizon, which was postponed due to the full-scale invasion. In 2024, she directed Honeymoon within the Biennale College Cinema program, exploring the theme of occupation. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and went on to win major awards at Molodist IFF, Arras Film Festival, and Sofia IFF.
Marysia Nikitiuk
a Screenwriter and director whose short films have won awards at major festivals like Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, and Cairo IFF. She received the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award at Cannes in 2016, and her debut feature When the Trees Fall premiered at Berlinale in 2018. She co-wrote Nariman Aliev’s Homeward, which screened at Cannes in 2019, and has been teaching storytelling and directing at SKVOT since 2020. In 2023, she launched storytelling workshops with the Voices of Children Foundation for young people affected by the war.
Nadia Parfan
studied at Wajda Film School in Poland. Her feature documentary Heat Singers was commissioned by NHK Japan and awarded as Best Documentary by the Ukrainian Film Academy and Ukrainian Film Critics’ Union (2019). Her debut fiction short It’s a Date received a Special Jury Mention at Berlinale (2023). Her recent documentary I Did Not Want To Make a War Film (2023) was commissioned by the New Yorker.
Nadia is a founder and a curator of Takflix.com VOD platform for Ukrainian cinema
Anna Buryachkova
is the director of the Ukrainian drama Forever-Forever and previously worked as a second director at Radioaktive Film, collaborating on music videos and commercials. Her projects include videos for Okean Elzy, ONUKA, and Paolo Nutini. Her feature debut premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was later released in Ukrainian cinemas. She is now preparing an adaptation of Ivan Bahrianyi’s novel The Tiger Catchers.
MODERATOR
Alyona Shylova
filmmaker, specialist in cultural studies, and film critic. Host and co-author of the YouTube channel Femme Fatale Heels, focused on women’s contributions to cinema and feminist film criticism. Member of the Ukrainian Film Critics’ Union