Festival du film ukrainien
English version below
Depuis plus d’un an, l’Ukraine est au centre du discours public social et politique. Depuis le début du conflit armé en 2014, et plus récemment, depuis la guerre d’agression à grande échelle menée par la Russie contre notre pays voisin, nombre de cinéastes ukrainiens et étrangers ont choisi de dépeindre ce conflit complexe dans leurs films.
Les films présentés lors du festival du film Seeing Ukraine pendant quatre jours interpellent le public à réfléchir sur les implications de la guerre, mais aussi à reconsidérer le terme « solidarité ». Divisés en deux catégories – documentaires et films d’art – les films invitent les spectateurs à mieux comprendre la situation contemporaine compliquée et macabre dans un cadre plus large, mais aussi à découvrir les perspectives des minorités et des femmes. Dans leurs œuvres, de nombreux cinéastes sélectionnés révèlent l’essence de la société ukrainienne pleine de contradictions et d’individualité, en particulier dans les années précédant l’invasion, dépeignant une culture effervescente et un esprit audacieux de résistance:
Parce que cette guerre ne concerne pas seulement l’Ukraine et la Russie. Il s’agit d’une lutte commune pour la démocratie, l’égalité des droits et le dépassement des systèmes d’oppression.
Participer au festival est un acte de solidarité et d’entraide. Nous vous invitons à explorer les histoires de personnes courageuses et résilientes qui se sont battues et continuent de se battre pour l’indépendance et un avenir pacifique. Nous vous invitons à voir l’Ukraine.
Seeing Ukraine est un projet réalisé par FunkForum e.V. Co-organisé par l’Institut français, Jane Rozbytska (leader informel de la communauté ukrainienne de Timisoara et présidente de l’ONG « Faina UA ») et Marta Pogorila (directrice artistique du Black Sea Arts Festival). Hébergé par l’Université de West Timisoara. Le projet est parrainé par l’ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen – Institut des relations étrangères) grâce à des fonds fournis par l’Auswärtiges Amt (ministère fédéral des Affaires étrangères d’Allemagne), ainsi que par l’Institut français de Roumanie.
Le festival a lieu à l’Université de l’Ouest (Bv. Vasile Pârvan 4, Amphiteatrul A01), dans le jardin de l’Institut Français (Bv. Constantin Diaconovici Loga 46) et à la Faculté des Arts et du Design (Str. Oituz 4, dans le grenier).
L’entrée à tous les films et événements est gratuite. Recommandation générale d’âge : + 16
Il s’agit d’un événement non commercial. Chaque participant peut montrer sa solidarité avec l’Ukraine en faisant un don à la plateforme caritative officielle United 24 (https://u24.gov.ua/).
Les soirs des 5, 6 et 7 mai, une partie de la communauté ukrainienne établie à Timișoara sera également présente et préparera une réception ukrainienne pour les spectateurs.
English version
For over one year already, Ukraine has been at the core of public social and political discourse. Since the beginning of the armed conflict in 2014, and, more recently, Russia’s large-scale war of aggression against our neighboring country, a number of Ukrainian and foreign filmmakers have chosen to depict this multi-layered conflict in their films.
The films presented at the Seeing Ukraine film festival over the course of four days challenge the audience to reflect on the implications of war, but also to reconsider the term of “solidarity”. Divided into two categories – documentary and arthouse – the films invite the viewers to better understand the complex gruesome contemporary situation in a broader framework, but also to acknowledge the perspectives of minorities and women. In their works, many of the selected filmmakers reveal the essence of Ukrainian society full of contradictions and individuality, especially in the years leading up to the invasion, portraying an effervescent culture and a defiant spirit of resistance.
Because this war is not only about Ukraine and Russia. It is about a common struggle for democracy, equal rights, and overcoming systems of oppression.
Attending the festival is an act of solidarity, of coming together and supporting each other. We invite you to explore the stories of brave and resilient people who have fought and keep fighting for independence and a peaceful future. We invite you to see Ukraine.
Seeing Ukraine is a project by FunkForum e.V. Co-organized by the French Institute, Jane Rozbytska (informal leader of Ukrainian community in Timișoara and president of the ”Faina UA” NGO) and Marta Pogorila (art director of Black Sea Arts Festival). Hosted by UVT. The project is kindly sponsored by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office, as well as by the French Institute Romania.
The film festival takes place in West University (Bv. Vasile Pârvan 4, room A01), in the garden of the French Institute (Bv. Constantin Diaconovici Loga 46) and at the Faculty of Arts and Design (Str. Oituz 4, attic).
Admission to all films and events is free of charge. General age recommendation: + 16
This is a non-commercial event. Every participant can show their solidarity with Ukraine by making a donation to the official charity platform United 24.
On the evenings of 5, 6 and 7 May, part of the Ukrainian community settled in Timișoara will be present and will prepare a Ukrainian reception for the guests.
Films
Stop Zemlia
Friday, May 5th, 18h00 – UVT (A01)
Genre: Drama
Director: Kateryna Gornostai
Actors: Maria Fedorchenko, Arsenii Markov, Yana Isaienko
Production country: Ukraine
Year: 2021
Duration: 2h02
Language: Ucrainian
Subtitles: Romanian
Synopsis:
The melodrama „Stop Earth” is the brainchild of Ukrainian director and screenwriter Kateryna Gornostay. Since 2017, she has been looking for an opportunity to implement her project, participating in various pitches. The actors were chosen from among the capital’s schoolchildren who have no experience working in cinema. Out of 250 applicants, 25 were selected. For two months, they worked with the director and her assistants three times a week. The premiere took place at the Berlin Film Festival, where the film won the Crystal Bear award of the youth jury.https://www.youtube.com/embed/7CU2V4Yt38g?feature=oembed
The Longest Day
Friday, May 5th, 20h45 – French Institute
Production country: Ukraine
Year: 2023
Duration: 0h27
Language: Ukrainian
Subtitles: Romanian
Synopsis
Ever since the beginning of the large-scale war, the German minority in Ukraine has been engaged together with other minorities, as well as the majority population, in providing humanitarian and social help to people in need. Representatives of some of the many Ukrainian German associations are recalling 24th of February 2022, the day when everything changed. The movie was created as an initative of the Counsel of Germans in Ukraine, with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Interior and Community (BMI).
Slava Ukraini
Friday, May 5th, 21h15 – French Institute
Genre: Documentary
Director: Bernard-Henri Lévy, François Margolin
Actors: Gilles Hertzog, Bernard-Henri Lévy
Production country: France
Year: 2023
Duration: 1h34
Language: French
Subtitleas: Romanian, Ukrainian
Synopsis
This logbook traces the war in Ukraine in the second half of 2022. The film begins in Kharkiv, Donbass. It ends in Kherson, the day after the liberation of the city, then in Ochakiv, the base from which the elite units may leave, fighting Ukraine’s last battle against the Russian occupation and its ravages.
Bernard-Henri Lévy is a French writer, philosopher, filmmaker, businessman and columnist. Having graduated from the ENS, he became known in 1977 for his essay La Barbarie à visage humain. He is an influential figure on the French political, philosophical, media and literary scene, through his involvement in many social issues. He is one of the initiators of the movement of new philosophers, of which he remains the emblematic figure. He received the Prix Médicis in 1984 and the Prix Interallié in 1988.
The projection will be followed by a Q&A session with the director François Margolin.https://www.youtube.com/embed/SaX7rlGjlwY?feature=oembed
Inner Wars
Saturday, May 6th, 17h30 – UVT (A01)
Genre: Documentary
Director: Masha Kondakova
Production country: France, Ukraine
Year: 2020
Duration: 1h08
Language: Ukrainian, English
Subtitles: Romanian, Ukrainian
Synopsis
Since the uprising of a pro Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine in 2014, hundreds of women joined the army. Only a few made it to the front line. Filmmaker Masha embeds herself in the war zone to follow the daily life of three of them. By sharing the intimacy of these fighters, Masha soon becomes a victim of this brotherhood conflict jeopardising this film and her life.
Masha Kondakova is an Ukrainian actress and director. She is known for the House Arrest series (2010). She has been awarded in more than 70 festivals around the world.https://www.youtube.com/embed/QMi9pyPMfQI?feature=oembed
Roses
Saturday, May 6th, 19h00 – UVT (A01)
Genre: Documentary
Director: Irena Stetsenko
Actors: Dakh Daughters, Vlad Troitskiy, Ruslana Khazipova
Year: 2021
Duration: 1h18
Language: Ukrainian
Subtitles: Romanian
Synopsis
Shot over a number of years, this pseudo-musical documentary follows the punk cabaret project The Dakh Daughters in their creative endeavours as they put their exquisit artistic talents at work. They are in turn protesters at the famous Maidan square, artists in quest of ways to express their love for tradition and concern for what is going on in the country, and extremely entertaining performers. Director Irina Setsenko did the filming herself, being also the band’s sound producer. The result is a fresh, intelligent and entertaining account of today’s Ukraine reflected by a group of powerful original female artists.https://www.youtube.com/embed/KuiXYt3Wa54?feature=oembed
Butterfly vision
Saturday, May 6th, 21h00 – French Institute
Genre: War drama
Director: Maksym Nakonechnyi
Actors: Rita Burkovska, Lyubomyr Valivots, Myroslava Vytrykhovska-Makar
Year: 2022
Duration: 1h47
Language: Ukrainian
Subtitles: Romanian
Synopsis
Lilia, an air reconnaissance specialist, returns to her family in Ukraine after several months in prison in Donbass. The trauma of captivity torments her and resurfaces in visions. Something deep within her keeps her from forgetting, but she refuses to see herself as a victim and fights to free herself.
Maksym Nakonechnyi is a Ukrainian director and screenwriter. Her film Butterfly Vision premiered at Cannes in 2022.https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPPSxukcXxI?feature=oembed
This Rain Will Never Stop
Sunday, May 7th, 16h00 – UVT (A01)
Genre: Drama, Documentary
Year: 2020
Duration: 1h42
Language: Russian, Arabic, Kurdish, Ukrainian, German
Subtitles: Romanian, Ukrainian
Sinopsis
This Rain Will Never Stop takes the audience on a powerful, visually arresting journey through humanity’s endless cycle of war and peace. The film follows 20-year-old Andriy Suleyman as he tries to secure a sustainable future while navigating the human toll of armed conflict. From the Syrian civil war to strife in Ukraine, Andriy’s existence is framed by the seemingly eternal flow of life and death.https://www.youtube.com/embed/3L0fVDSU8yc?feature=oembed
Homeward
Sunday, May 7th, 18h00 – UVT (A01)
Genre: Drama
Director: Nariman Aliev
Actors: Akhtem Seitablaev, Remzi Bilyalov, Dariya Barikhashvili
Year: 2019
Duration: 1h36
Language: Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar
Subtitles: Romanian, Ukrainian
Synopsis
Having lost his eldest son in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Moustafa decides to bring his body back to his native land: Crimea. For this, he takes the road with his youngest son. A trip that will change their relationship. The fate of this family coincides with that of all the Tatar people, massively deported by Stalin in 1944.
Nariman Aliev is a Ukrainian director and screenwriter of Crimean Tatar origin. He is a member of the European Film Academy and his film Homeward was screened at Cannes in 2019.https://www.youtube.com/embed/ThK0Qc87uh0?feature=oembed
Tales of a Toy Horse
Sunday, May 7th, 21h00 – French Institute
Genre: Documentary
Director: Ulyana Osovska, Denys Strashnyy
Production country: Ukraine, Estonia
Year: 2021
Duration: 1h16
Language Ukrainian, Estonian
Subtitles: Romanian
Synopsis
Anatoli, a former anti-Soviet activist who is now a monk and an artist, lives in an ancient stone tower in the heart of Tallinn. Day by day, he prays for nature and creates self-made books in his workshop. Many years ago, Anatoli made a vow to find something good in every day. The outbreak of war in Eastern Ukraine makes him leave the peaceful Estonian capital and go to the frontline towns with a mission to work as a volunteer. Since 2014, he has combined the spiritual life with social activism, constantly traveling to the Donbas to deliver humanitarian aid. His vow is being tested by the reality of the ‘grey zone’.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the director Ulyana Osovska.
Le soviétisme va dans un sens et le sexuel dans l’autre
Monday, May 8th, 18h00 – Faculty of Arts and Design (mansarda)
Genre: Biography, Documentary
Production country: France
Year: 2018
Duration: 1h54
Language: French, Russian
Subtitles: Romanian
Sinopsis
This film introduces us to Boris Mikhaïlov for almost two hours, at home, in Kharkiv and Berlin. The artist talks to us about his life and work, about Soviet and post-Soviet Ukraine, using his photographs, which he describes and comments on in front of us. We also witness the artist’s activation of an ektachrome slide projector found at his home in Kharkiv.
Tea, Coffee, Cappuccino
For the acclaimed photographer Boris Mikhailov (born 1938), a society’s most significant paradigm shifts are often most clearly perceived in the smallest of everyday transactions. For example, in a café or restaurant in the Soviet-era Ukraine, a waiter would have offered you “tea or coffee?” Today, two decades after the fall of the Soviet bloc and the ascent of western capitalism, it’s “tea, coffee, cappuccino?”
The screenings will be followed by a discussion between the director David Teboul and the curator Ami Barak.
