80 min, eng subtitles, 16+
UKRANIAN SHORT FILMS EVENING & DEBATE
For this special evening of short films dedicated to Ukraine, we have selected recent Ukrainian short films that capture the reality in the country and how Ukrainians adapt to life with war – individually and collectively, physically and psychologically. The films will be followed by the debate "Ukraine Now" in the presence of the Ukrainian film director Iryna Tsylik and the Polish film director Elwira Niewiera, who makes films in and about Ukraine.
As It Was by Anastasiia Solonevych & Damian Kocur (Poland, Ukraine, 2023, 15’)
Lera returns to her hometown, where nothing is as it was before.
It’s a Date by Nadia Parfan (Ukraine, 2023, 5’)
Kyiv 2022. A motorbike races at breakneck speed through the empty city at dawn.
It is quiet here. / Поки тут тихо. by Olena Podolianko, Novruz Hikmet (Ukraine 2022, 12’)
A young couple is torn from the world for one long night in a hotel room near the western border. They agree not to talk about the war, but the morning comes and forces them to return to reality.
Are you ok? by Natalya Vorozhbit (Ukraine, United Kingdom 2023, 5’)
A traumatic experience of a mother and daughter who were forced to leave Ukraine after the invasion.
Mariupol. A Hundred Nights / Mаріуполь. Cто ночей by Sofiia Melnyk (Ukraine, Germany 2023, 7’)
The animated film depicts a little girl's search for survival during a burning city's air alert – a story inspired by the real-life experience of a 4-year old girl.
One Aloe, One Ficus, One Avocado and Six Dracaenas / Алоє, фікус, авокадо і 6 драцен by Marta Smerechynska (France, Ukraine 2023, 8’)
Packages from Ukraine wait patiently under a bridge to be found, while a voice stirs memories of frivolous and treasured personal effects, in a heart-breaking apparent farewell letter to Kiev.
Say Daddy/ Powiedz tato by Andrii Shostak (Poland, Ukraine 2023, 6’)
Eight-month-old Lew lives with his mother in Poland, where they had to flee from the war in Ukraine. His dad can't hug him or see him take his first steps or say his first words.
With the support of and in collaboration with the Ukrainian Embassy in Brussels and the association Lukraine asbl