
Films, talks & events
Kino Ukraïna
8 — 26 May 2022

Kira Muratova, Yuri Ilyenko, Alexander Dovzhenko and Maryna Er Gorbach – just a few of the directors featured in Kino Ukraïna. Names that cover the period from the 1930s and ’60s to now; from the Soviet era up to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
This month, Eye is screening ten films by filmmakers who were born or who work (or have worked) in Ukraine, a country that ever since the Maidan Revolution has been fighting for recognition of its unique history, language and culture.


What links these makers of different ages and backgrounds is their independence of spirit. Directors such as Dovzhenko, Muratova and Ilyenko turned away – not without consequences – from the aesthetics of Socialist Realism, while makers from the latest generation (Roman Bondarchuk, Maryna Er Gorbach) courageously bring the reality of Russian aggression into their narratives.
A striking element is the love these makers show for the cultural history of Ukraine and its inhabitants. The country’s nature, customs and landscape are celebrated, particularly in classics such as Dovzhenko's Zemlya (1930) and A Spring for the Thirsty (1965, Yuri Ilyenko). This tradition also shines through in the short poetic film Doma kak doma (2020) by Eefje Suijkerbuijk, in which various Ukrainians speak in tableaux vivants about their lives and their country’s exceptional history.


Kino Ukraïna shows classics of Ukrainian cinema alongside contemporary productions by committed artists and filmmakers. Together, these create an impression of Ukraine, its culture and its inhabitants.

Films, talks & events
The proceeds of ticket sales will go to the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre, the largest Ukrainian film archive.
Also screening

In the cinema and on Picl: Babi Yar. Context
Sergei Loznitsa delved into the archives to commemorate one of the biggest mass executions of WWII: Babi Yar, where more than 33.000 Jewish citizens of Kyiv were murdered.

Eye Film Player: Sergei Loznitsa
The films of Sergei Loznitsa (1964) are more relevant than ever due to recent developments. That is why a selection can be seen on the Eye Film Player.

Eye Film Player: The One Minutes Jr. Ukraine
46 1-minute autobiographical films made by young Ukrainians in 2016-17 as part of The One Minutes Jr, which offers video workshops for young people to make their voices heard.

On Picl: Olga
15-year-old Ukrainian elite gymnast Olga trains in Switzerland for the European Championships while her mother reports on the Maidan revolution in Kyiv.

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