UKRAINE: LIFE & EXILE
Ukraine has a rich cultural scene with a large production of short films. As we approach three years since the Russian full-scale invasion war, it is reassuring that this culture is being carried forward, even under particularly challenging conditions.
The first part, Life, is a selection from the national competition at KISFF, and provides a kind of present-day picture from inside the country.
The second part, Exile, is a curated program labelled UKRAINE. DISPLACED, with films that take their point of view from life outside their homeland.
Guest programmes from Kyiv International Short Film Festival - KISFF
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Ukraina 1: Liv | Ukraine 1: Life (Total: 97 min.)
Cine ONS - WED 18:00 |
Cine LØR - SAT 14:00
UKRAINE NOW
This selection of 2023-2024 Ukrainian short films offers a vibrant and dynamic mix that captures the surreal essence of our times. These filmmakers not only navigate the contradictions of a world in flux — where the mundane meets the extraordinary and the urgency to embrace life feels stronger than ever — but also delve into the past to uncover insights about who we are in the present. Through their bold and fresh perspectives, these stories weave together resilience, eagerness, and a profound exploration of what it means to exist in this uniquely intense moment in history.
Curated by the Kyiv International Short Film Festival team.
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UKR, FRA 2024 | Fic. | 18 min.
Director: Masha Kondakova |
BLUEBERRY SUMMER
Ksyusha må bruke sommeren til å plukke blåbær i Kyiv-skogene, men når hun blir distrahert av kjæresten Misha, beveger de seg dypere og dypere innover, uvitende om faren som lurer.
Ksyusha has to spend the summer harvesting blueberries in the forest of Kiev, but as she is distracted by her lover Misha, they go deeper and deeper into the forest, unaware of the danger.
Script: Masha Kondakova | Camera: Volodymyr Ivanov | Cast: Ulyana Zolkina, Edouard Polyalov
Production: Capricci Films |

UKR 2024 | Fic. | 12 min.
Director: Eugene Slupchuk |
TOO CLOSE
To venner kommer hjem fra en fest og overnatter hos den ene. Det ser ut til å bli en helt vanlig og hyggelig kveld, men plutselig blir de fanget i et flyangrep.
Two friends return from a party and stay at the home of one of them. It would seem like an ordinary cozy evening but suddenly the heroes are caught in an air raid.
Script: Eugene Slupchuk | Cast: Danylo Kolomiiets, Oleksii Zadorozhinii
Production: Gregrat Production |

UKR, POL 2024 | Fic. | 26 min.
Director: Adelina Borets |
BEWARE OF A GOOD DOG!
Stepan adopterer jevnlig gamle hunder, som tilbringer sine siste dager ved siden av ham og dør fredfullt. Det er hans egen måte å forsone seg med slutten av livet. Han drømmer om å dø fredelig av alderdom. Men fred er et privilegium stjålet av den unge gutten Gogo.
Stepan regularly adopts old dogs, who spend their last days beside him and die peacefully. It's his own way of coming to terms with the end of his life. He dreams of dying peacefully at old age. But peace is a privilege stolen by the young boy Gogo.
Script: Adelina Borets | Camera: Pawel Kozak | Editing: Jakub Bastkovski
Production: Kieslowski Film School - Adelina Borets, Iryna Borkovska, Kacper Anaczkowski |

UKR, GEO 2023 | Doc. | 7 min.
Director: Daria Zhuravel |
WALK
En selvbiografisk historie, dedikert til barndommen og til de som ikke lenger er blant oss, men hvis tilstedeværelse følger oss uansett hvor vi går.
An autobiographical story, dedicated to childhood and to those who are no longer with us, but whose presence accompanies us wherever we go.
Script, Editing: Daria Zhuravel | Cast: Caiti Lattimer
Production: Anastasiia Zakhilko, Vladic Ravich |

UKR 2024 | Doc. | 25 min.
Director: Oleksiy Radynski |
WHERE RUSSIA ENDS
Et filmessay som undersøker russisk imperialisme, miljøødeleggelse og den pågående undertrykkelsen av urfolk i Russlands kolonier.
A film essay that interrogates Russian imperialism, environmental destruction, and the ongoing oppression of indigenous peoples in Russia’s colonies.
Script: Oleksiy Radynski | Editing: Taras Spivak, Oleksiy Radynski
Production: Lyuba Knorozok
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Ukraina 2: Eksil | Ukraine 2: Exile (Total: 92 min.)
Cine ONS - WED 20:00 |
Cine SØN - SUN 14:00
UKRAINE. DISPLACED
Over 6 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded globally, and almost 5 million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war, making it the largest displacement crisis since World War II. The films of this programme delve into the emotional landscapes of those forced to flee the ravages of war, capturing the essence of starting anew against one’s will, and the challenges of adapting to a new reality while preserving one’s roots.
Curated by Sasha Prokopenko and Olha Gusiatynska (KISFF)
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PRT, BEL, HUN, UKR 2023 | Doc. | 22 min.
Director: Daryna Mamaisur |
SMOKE OF THE FIRE
Det er Portugal, det er det portugisiske språket og det er en ukrainsk filmskaper som lærer språket og nærmer seg rollen som den potensielle migranten. Mellom språk, bilder herfra og bilder fra et land i krig, prøver en stemme å sette ord på lengselens tilstand.
There is Portugal, there is the Portuguese language and there is a Ukrainian filmmaker who learns the language and approaches the role of the potential migrant. Between languages, images from here and those from a country at war, a voice tries to put into words the state of longing.
Script, Editing: Daryna Mamaisur | Camera: Shaheen Ahmed, Daryna Mamaisur, Svitlana Vostrikova
Production: DOCNomads |

UKR, DEU 2023 | Fic. | 18 min.
Director: Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi |
WAKING UP IN SILENCE
Ukrainske barn blir konfrontert med fortiden sin mens de utforsker sitt nye hjem i Tyskland: en tidligere militærbrakke.
Ukrainian children are confronted with their past as they explore their new home in Germany: a former military barracks.
Script, Editing: Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi | Camera: Tobias Blickle
Production: Babylon'13 - Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi, Andrii Kotliar |

UKR, FRA 2023 | Fic. | 14 min.
Director: Andrii Kokura |
IN PARIS NO ONE THINKS ABOUT TOMORROW
Alissa er en ukrainsk modell som har søkt tilflukt i Paris. Traumatisert av krig og eksil virker hun likegyldig til alt rundt seg, og søker nå bare én ting: harmoni.
Alissa is a Ukrainian model who has taken refuge in Paris. Traumatized by war and exile, Alissa seems indifferent to everything around her, and now seeks only one thing: harmony.
Script: Andrii Kokura | Camera: Lucas Chaunay | Editing: Mohamed Khamkham, Andrii Kokura | Cast: Lisa Tchernova, Eliott Margueron, Gwenda Guthwasser, Ricardo Walker, Andrii Kokura, Elie Aslanoff, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Clement Pelissiere
Production: Jules Charpentier, Maxime Daniélou, Andrii Kokura |

UKR 2023 | Doc. | 20 min.
Director: Halyna Lavrinets |
GUESTS FROM KHARKIV (Гості З Харкова)
Nelia og ektemannen har et gårdsbruk i den ukrainske Poltava-regionen, og hjelper mennesker som har flyktet fra bombeangrep i Kharkiv. Men hvordan vil bymenneskene håndtere det fysiske arbeidet som er nødvendig for å produsere maten de spiser?
Nelia and her husband have a farm in Ukraine's Poltava region, and are helping people who have fled bombings in Kharkiv. But how will the townspeople deal with the physical labor required to produce the food they eat?
Camera: Yevhen Kozeko | Editing: Ihor Kosenko | Cast: Nelia Rozhko
Production: Oleksandra Bratyshchenko |

UKR, POL 2023 | Doc. | 15 min.
Director: Anastasiia Solonevych, Damian Kocur |
AS IT WAS
Lera har bodd i Berlin siden krigens utbrudd. På vei tilbake til Kyiv møter hun vennen Kyrylo, som hun tilbringer dagen sammen med.
Lera has been living in Berlin since the outbreak of the war. On her way back to Kyiv she meets her friend Kyrylo, with whom she spends the day.
Script: Anastasiia Solonevych, Damian Kocur | Camera: Damian Kocur | Editing: Damian Kocur | Cast: Iryna Abramova, Timur Belakov, Sofia Berezovska, Valeria Berezovska, a.o.
Production: Piotr Steczek |

UKR 2023 | Doc. | 8 min.
Director: Marta Smerechynska |
ONE ALOE, ONE FICUS, ONE AVOCADO AND SIX DACAENAS
Hva skal man ta med seg, og hva skal man etterlate? En stemme vekker minner om både uviktige og kjære personlige eiendeler, som i et hjerteskjærende avskjedsbrev til Kyiv.
What to take, what to leave? A voice stirs memories of frivolous and treasured personal effects, in an apparent heart-breaking farewell letter to Kyiv.
Script: Marta Smerechynska, Kateryna Babkina | Camera: Asma Benazouz, Sarp Uzunoglu | Editing: Marta Smerechynska
Production: La Femis - Julie Tingaud
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