In our view, Svitlana Zinovieva is one of the key figures of Ukrainian cinema in the post-independence era.
She began her career as a cinematographer at the Odesa Film Studio (1977–1988), later working at Kyivnaukfilm (1988–1994). In 1993, she founded her own production company — Inspiration Films Company.
Her contribution to the development of the Ukrainian film industry still awaits proper recognition. One of the first to work in the field of international co-production, Svitlana has produced around 50 films, organized educational workshops, and co-curated the Close Up Documentary Film Club.
As part of the “Women* in Film” section, we will present two special programs dedicated to Svitlana Zinovieva’s creative work. Each screening will be followed by a live conversation with Svitlana — about cinema, experience, and her professional journey.
🎤 Films are screened in their original language, with Ukrainian and English subtitles.
💬 Screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A session with Svitlana Zinovyeva.
❗ These films may contain potentially triggering or disturbing elements, such as the russian language
🔞 Recommended Age:12+
This program is supported by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Kyiv Office - Ukraine.
In Memoria of David Chichkan.
Ukrainian anarchist artist, volunteer defender of Ukraine, and protagonist of the film Landscape. David Chichkan was killed in action on August 8, 2025.
LANDSLIDE
Director: Oleksiy Radynski
Country: Ukraine
Duration: 26
Landslide is a film that represents post-revolutionary Ukraine through a community of people who ‘try to build a new society’ in the cracks and pores of a collapsing social system. The film unfolds in central Kyiv, in a space that has been reclaimed from the city by forces of nature. As a result of a series of landslides, the area of Petrivska street has become untenable and was subsequently occupied by the outcasts and outsiders of all kinds. It also became an important meeting spot for counterculture and artistic underground. A secretive graffiti team, a group of tech geeks and an avant-garde gay theatre that fled the war in Luhansk all struggle to create a place where they could coexist outside the pressure of dysfunctional social structures.
PROJECT RAIN
Director: Oleg Chornyi
Country: Ukraine
Duration: 24
Ukraine. The city of Mariupol, located 20 kilometers from the frontline of clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian troops and separatists. Artist Hamlet Zinkivskyi travels to Mariupol to create a series of works in the urban space.