February 24 of this year marks a new reality on the global geopolitical field. The Russian invasion of Ukraine added a new tragic chapter to the war started in 2014. The films in this pathway will carry us to Ukraine over the past few years, they will introduce us to Ukrainian people, old and young, civilians and armed, and will help us see the human condition in war, the resilience of those under extreme danger and hardship, and our own compassion.
Pathway: Ukraine is supported by vfonds.
Winter and war mean this Ukrainian children’s home near the front is fuller than ever. A group of resolute, no-nonsense women have created an almost magical place where they watch over children who are waiting for the government to decide their fate.
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A heartbreaking portrait of two 16-year-old Ukrainian refugees in Budapest. They help out at a school for refugee children and make protest art on the streets—triggering political discussions among the Hungarian passersby.
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Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius (1976-2022) filmed this visually powerful tribute to Mariupol in the spring of 2015, just after the Russian occupation of Crimea. Despite the threat, life goes on, with all its joy, love and worry.
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Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius returned to the ruined Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a hell on earth where life goes on amid the bombardments. He was killed by Russian troops, but his crew went on to finish the film.
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A touching documentary on the personal impact of the Russian occupation of the Bucha region in March 2022. Traumatized locals and volunteers try to restore life from the ruins, while the war is still present in cities that have suffered heavy attacks.
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In January 1946, 15 Nazis were put on trial in Kiev for their role in the murder of 10,000 civilians in Ukraine. Sergei Loznitsa draws on recovered archive footage of the trial to assemble a shocking and urgent documentary.
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What are artists to do in wartime? Instead of producing religious statues, the Ukrainian sculptors in this short film make anti-tank obstacles. The need for these is more urgent at the moment.
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Theater maker Roza Sarkisian is united with five young Ukrainians to create a performance in which Shakespeare’s Hamlet and their reality come together. The depiction of this intense process is complemented by impressive portraits of the protagonists.
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