The Illusion of a Quiet Night

Filmed during one night in July 2025 by forty filmmakers and hundreds of citizens, The Illusion of a Quiet Night paints a vast collective portrait of war-torn Ukraine. Between fear and exhaustion, moments of joy and scenes of the ordinary day to day, we watch as life goes on in spite of everything, witnessing the resilience of a nation gripped by uncertainty.

Russia's attacks on civilian sites in its war on Ukraine happen largely at night. Footage from 40 camera operators, combined with recordings by private individuals, documents the night of July 27, 2025, in Ukraine. The images take us through forests and cities, show what's happening at the front, and reveal brief moments of happiness in people's personal lives.

Wednesday, 14 October 2026 — Opening Ceremony

6:30 pm — Doors, reception & performances
7:30 pm — Opening ceremony
8:00 pm — Screening, followed by a Q&A with director Olga Chernykh

Friday, 16 October 2026:

Screening followed by the Panel discussion on everyday life, memory, and collective filmmaking during wartime

Following the screening, we invite you to a panel discussion. We will explore how war becomes inscribed in everyday life, how memories are formed through daily experience, what collective filmmaking can achieve under conditions of constant uncertainty, and how the resilience of a society can be represented without romanticising it. From different perspectives, we will examine how the war in Ukraine is lived, remembered, and documented – and how it is perceived in Germany.

Moderator:

• Inga Pylypchuk, freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker from Kyiv, based in Berlin

Panel:

• Olga Chernykh, director and cinematographer, director of the film
• Taras Spivak, director and editor from Kyiv, winner of the Docudays UA Short Film Award
• Nataliya Pryhornytska, political scientist, programme officer at the EVZ Foundation
• Gesine Dornblüth, radio journalist and author with a doctorate, and long-time foreign correspondent