About – Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin

Ukrainian Film Festival Team at the Opening of 2025 Festival on Oct. 22nd, 2025

The Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin is organized by Plivka. Initiative für unabhängige audiovisuelle Kunst und Kultur Berlin e.V., a registered association dedicated to promoting Ukrainian cinema worldwide.

Our goal, however, is above all to present the current film landscape in Ukraine, and to explore it together with the audience.

We would like to show high-quality Ukrainian cinema products in cooperation with cinemas and various institutions, with experts and other guests, and make them available for discussion. We strive to familiarize the audience with a multitude of genres and artistic approaches of Ukrainian filmmakers, to talk about the role and perception of Ukrainian cinema in the German and global context.

To carry out exciting projects that will be attractive not only for those interested in Ukraine and Eastern Europe but also for other viewers who are interested in artistic processes and products.

With Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin we want to create a platform for the discussion of current issues for Ukraine in a European context. We want to hold our film screenings in professionally suitable rooms, give our viewers time, space, and topics for discussions and create an atmosphere of mutual dialogue.

Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin at a glance:

Founded in 2020 in Berlin.
Takes place annually at the end of October.
Five successful festival editions with more than 50,000 international attendees.
Thematic film series & numerous screenings of Ukrainian cinema throughout Germany.
Cooperation with the most important cultural and film institutions in Ukraine and Germany.
Award-winning films, impact documentaries, curated short film programs & retrospective programs.
Panels, talks, and Q&A sessions with directors & film experts.

Team

Meet the Team

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

Daria Buteiko

Daria is working in academia and at different European film festivals, such as Berlinale and Filmfest Munich. Since 2016, she has been co-organizing screenings of Ukrainian films in Berlin.

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

Ivanna Kozak

After finishing her studies in Prague and the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris program, Ivanna has been working as film producer in Berlin. In 2020 she co-founded the UFFB and Plivka Initiative and is responsible for festival programming and overall festival coordination.

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

Valentina Zalevska

Valentina has been working in several international film festivals such as Lviv International Short Film Festival Wiz-Art in Ukraine, Human Rights Film Festival Berlin and Fracto Experimental film encounter produced & distributed short films. She is responsible for programming & production.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Gevorg Avetikyan

Gevorg is a researcher at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) with experience in higher education and internationalization. He has worked with the Golden Apricot Film Festival in Yerevan. Now in Berlin, he joined the Ukrainian Film Festival team in 2024 as a volunteer coordinator.

GUEST MANAGER

Petro Baluk

Petro is a Guest Manager and Guest Liaison professional. He has been working with such festivals as Berlinale and Poesiefestival Berlin. His second most favourite place after festivals are mountains and simply being out in the wild. A pathological dog lover and a keen eye on visual arts and photography. An always-ready-to help personality with a pinch of analytical thinking, dash of problem solving and a dollop of compassion.

WEB & TICKETING

Bogdana Bondarenko

Bogdana, a full-stack developer and UI/UX designer from Kyiv, has a passion for arts and cinema. Living in Berlin since 2003, she never misses Berlinale and since 2020 also UFFB. In 2023, she joined the festival team, supporting web development and providing technical solutions.

GUEST MANAGER

Anastasiia Holovnenko

Anastasiia worked as a content creator before joining the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin team. After two years as a volunteer location manager, she now supports the festival as Guest Manager, combining organizational work with a strong interest in film and Ukrainian cultural events.

TECHNICAL MANAGER

Kateryna Khotkevych

Kateryna is a software engineer, passionate about the film industry. After visiting major world film festivals in Berlin, Venice, and Cannes, in 2020 Kateryna joined the initiative to run the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin.

SPONSORING & PARTNERSHIPS

Olena Kukharets

Olena is a business development professional with nearly a decade of experience. She specializes in B2B sales, partnerships, project management, and marketing. She oversees partnerships and sponsor relations at the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin and consults for tech industry clients.

PR & PRESS RELATIONS

Silke Lehmann

Silke Lehmann's Greenhouse PR specializes in PR and press relations for film, TV, home cinema, and streaming releases; national and international film festivals such as the Berlinale; premiere and press screening support; filming and event press; dramaturgical consulting for screenplays; and editing services for books and publishers.

FINANCE MANAGER & SHORT FILM PROGRAMMER

Ivan Paniotov

Ivan is a financial specialist and a photographer with 6+ years of professional experience in both fields. At the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin, he is responsible for representing all the activities in numbers. In his free time, you can find him in one of the movie theaters in Berlin watching new and classic films.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Lilia Petryna

Lviv-born, Berlin-based marketing specialist with a culture, art & fashion background. Experienced in social media management. Her biggest passions are skiing, horse riding, visiting museums/galleries, and flea-market treasure hunting.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Anna-Mariia Shchehliuk

Anna-Mariia first joined UFFB as a volunteer photographer in 2022. Today, she is responsible for the festival’s social media. Having gained experience through internships at festivals such as DOK Leipzig and the Berlinale, she brings together her interest in film, communications, and visual storytelling. Passionate about fine art photography, she studies Cultural Studies and spends her free time working on short film projects.

EVENT MANAGEMENT

Rita Schindler

Rita joined UFFB as a volunteer two years ago now manages all the festival venues. With years as a creative producer in Ukraine’s music scene, she later shifted to sports events in Germany. Passionate about visual arts, she supports Ukrainian cinemaenjoys mountain activities and the outdoors.

SPONSORING & PARTNERSHIPS

Sara Spelta

Sara Spelta is an Italy-born arts and culture professional based in Berlin with a background in philosophy, slavistics, and experience in film festivals and contemporary art galleries. She holds an Master of Arts in philosophy from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and is currently studying Slavic languages and literatures at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, while further pursuing her academic path in philosophy. At UFFB, she works in sponsorships and partnerships, supporting external relations and collaborations.

SMM CONTENT CREATOR

Iryna Zghodko

Iryna, born in Kyiv and now in Berlin, has 4+ years’ experience in digital marketing and content creation. She manages UFFB’s social media with creative, informative content and has worked with projects like NGO Vitsche. Passionate about aesthetics, she enjoys photography, art, architecture, and food.

PR MANAGER & SHORT FILM PROGRAMMER

Mariya Zoryk

Mariya studied media studies and spent eight years with the Bamberg Short Film Festival, leading it for two years. With experience in PR and communications for cultural institutions such as the Ukrainian Institute in Germany and Tanzwerkstatt Europa, she has coordinated UFFB’s communications since 2021. In her free time, she enjoys dance classes, photography, and cuddling her cat.