The Ukrainian Competition brings together a vibrant mix of short films that really tap into the weirdness of our times. These filmmakers are capturing and portraying a world full of contradictions, where everything feels sharper, and the desire to live fully is stronger than ever. It’s a showcase of eagerness and resilience, offering fresh takes on what it means to navigate through such a surreal moment in history.
🎤 Films are screened in their original language, with Ukrainian and English subtitles.
💬 Screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the film crews.
❗ These films may contain potentially triggering or disturbing elements, such as, russian language, depictions of war, strong language, sounds of explosions
🔞 Recommended Age:16+
The editorial screening for this program is scheduled at KINO42 on September 8, 19:50. Details and tickets.
PRELUDE
Director: Alina Panasenko
Country: Ukraine
Duration: 14
While cruising through the nocturnal streets of Kyiv, Anna, a woman who stops and filming a passing men, unexpectedly encounters a soldier. They are starting to discuss the men she observed.
NIGHT SHIFT
Director: Megumi Lim
Country: Ukraine
Duration: 29
In the still hours of Kharkiv's curfewed nights, a quiet resilience hums through its empty streets. Night Shift is a short film capturing people who work under the cover of darkness, navigating both routine and risk as Russia often attacks when residents try to sleep. Those who stay awake to work do so for the city's survival. The film explores how Ukraine's second largest city has transformed because of war, its collective hope that dawn will arrive quietly, and the human need to carry on.
UNAVAILABLE
Director: Kyrylo Zemlyanyi
Country: Ukraine
Duration: 20
Serhii, a young man who fills his days with volunteer work, loses contact with his mother living in occupied territory. When his mother finally decides to evacuate, he learns that a humanitarian convoy from his hometown has been destroyed in a bombing raid.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Director: Anastazja Naumenko
Country: Poland
Duration: 15
Nastia, who has lived abroad for years, starts to teach her mom how to use Internet services. Different perceptions of technology become the starting point for exposing intergenerational conflicts and long-forgotten family threads. Can an intimacy regained via zoom be a turning point for the future relationship between two adults?