UFFB
2026

Remembering Babyn Yar: The Taras Family (Neskoreni)

Mark Donskoy · 93'

An adaptation of the novella of the same name by Borys Horbatov about the "heroic life and struggle" of the Donbas during the German occupation. The family of factory master Taras Yatsenko cannot evacuate the city due to the illness of his granddaughter, Mariyka. Taras himself is confident that everything will soon pass—one must only wait and not submit to the enemy. Nevertheless, the reality of war shatters all attempts to distance oneself from the conflict, drawing more and more people around Yatsenko into its whirlpool.

Nu Mam!

Oleh Borshchevskyi · 90'

A warm and funny family comedy about the unbreakable bond between mothers and their children, told across several interconnected stories.

The Illusion of a Quiet Night

Olga Chernykh · 70'

Filmed during a single night in July 2025 by forty filmmakers and hundreds of citizens across Ukraine, The Illusion of a Quiet Night paints a vast collective portrait of a nation living with war — between fear, exhaustion and fleeting moments of joy.

Donbas on Screen: I Love

Leonid Lukov · 74'

Long ago, Ostap's father left a poverty-stricken village to seek work in the Donbas region. The house built by Nikanor laid the foundation for the mining settlement of Sobacheyevka. Ostap followed in his father's footsteps, working thirty years for the mine owner. But when his father was dismissed, Ostap realized it was pointless to blame management alone for their hardship. Upon meeting the revolutionary worker Harbuz (Aleksandr Antonov), he becomes one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement among the Donbas miners.

Donbas on Screen: Rethinking History, Memory, and War

The program examines how the image and myth of the Donbas were shaped and transformed in Ukrainian cinema during the first half of the 20th century. This retrospective helps bridge the gap between avant-garde enthusiasm for industrialization and a critical reflection on the Soviet legacy—from World War II to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. These films invite viewers to see the Donbas not as a periphery or a "gray zone," but as an integral part of Ukrainian history, culture, and the broader European experience.

Silent Flood

Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk · 90'

A pacifist religious community on the Dniester river breaks its isolation to support Ukraine's war effort, as floods and war both reshape their world.