Kateryna Gornostai

Hanging out with friends, smoking a lot, spinning bottles and kissing, making mistakes, playing, refusing to accept, dreaming with open eyes - life as a teenager can be overwhelmingly beautiful and difficult at the same time. In her debut, the Ukrainian director composes a deeply emotional and multi-layered portrait of a generation whilst seamlessly flowing between the fictional and the documental.

The Vilnius Palace of Marriage, opened in 1974, is highly reminiscent of Soviet-era modernist architecture in Ukraine. Mariia’s dance represents her emerging womanhood in a space traditionally meant for the initiation ritual of two people. An episode of the anthology project “Dance + City”, which bridges contemporary dance and architecture across Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, France, and Ukraine. The film was screened both as an episode within the anthology and through independent festival and award distribution.

Despite the war, school life continues in Ukraine, with pupils and teachers striving to continue learning even under constant threat. The film is a mosaic of the everyday lives of teachers and students from different corners of Ukraine.

Crocodile is a game for a big company. The host shows a word only with the gestures. The one, who guesses it, chooses the next one to lead the game. Anya comes up with a difficult word for Lisa. This New Year Eve turns into a test of their friendship.

Young couple Aurora and Darko move to live in her grandpa’s house in the post-war de-occupied village. They are taking care of an 88-year-old man, who’s blind. Aurora begins to be tormented by the fear of death. Gradually, it becomes the central theme of their lives and puts everything in its place.

Driving in their yellow Lada flying its own little Ukrainian flag, they travel from incident to incident – calming an angry neighbor, investigating the discovery of a body, struggling to unfold a stroller and attempting to re-integrate Vova, the freeloader who eats other people’s dogs but actually longs for a normal existence – just like everyone else here. The seasons pass until political developments reach the village by way of the TV screen, sowing separatist discord.

Alexey is shooting a movie about himself. He is in search of a boyfriend. Everything would be alright, if Alexey's mother could accept his sexuality. Alexey comes to visit her and admits that he likes boys, saying 'Don't you anticipate any grandchildren from me'. We find Alexey at Tarkovsky film festival, where he apparently came to rest. Alexey meets Grisha, and a stormy holiday romance begins.

Polia, Solomiіa, Mariіa play in the local theater. After the spectacle, they meet a guy and walk through the night city together. Polia seems to fall in love with him. In the morning he will leave the city and they will not see each other again.

Explosion of the condensed milk on the kitchen stove - seems to be the worst thing that can happen. Even those who are responsible for its consequences don't know what will be next. A small crash in a small apartment can be an occasion for something more.

Kramatorsk may not be the nicest place - a town of factories and broken infrastructure - but its denizens find much to love there, reflecting on their home with frankness and warmth.

"We will be together until death will tear us apart" - it is the answer to the question "till when?". But when the romance is over, it is time to decide "how to continue". Young couple is looking for the answer.

May. Lilac blossom in Kyiv. Five friends and alcohol from the nearest supermarket. You need to be brave to face your fears, but you need to be even more courageous to tell about them to your closest. Looking for lilac's cinquefoil to eat for good luck.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, the thriving electronic scene changed forever. Overnight, producers, DJs, club owners, staff, promoters and curators became soldiers, refugees and volunteers. Such efforts swept through its venues, too. The country's dance floors were suddenly repurposed into medical training facilities and ammunition factories, coordination headquarters and volunteer centres. Ukraine: Nightlife in Resistance delves into six individual perspectives from across its club scene, uncovering from their stories the true cost of war.

Three months of revolution. From indignant protest to national unity. From pots on their heads to batons and body armor. From the euphoria of victory to the mourning of the fallen Heavenly Hundred. Revolution as an explosion of revived dignity, as the euphoria of freedom, as the pain of awareness at the cost, as the birth of the modern history of Ukraine. This year we have decided not to have an opening film, because all our attention is focused on the changes taking place in our country today. We have asked the directors who filmed the Ukrainian protests to share their best shots with us. The episodes of these upcoming films about the Euromaidan were formed in a kaleidoscope of revolution, which needs no comment. We offer you a chronicle of the Ukrainian protest. Experience the three months of fighting with us, feel and see the revolution through our eyes.

In November 2022, despite the war and power outages in Kyiv, the Docudays UA festival is taking place - live and offline, for the first time in two years. It was a special edition which the festival team called the State of Emergency, and it was accompanied by the news of the liberation of Kherson from Russian occupiers, daily air raid warnings, and dark Kyiv evenings. The three-day journey in the film is full of the fragile humor of the festival team and the eager eyes of the audience.

We remember dates and facts, while losing tiny details – like a bouquet of summer wildflowers, tears from onions, winter cold on a bus stop bench. We remember the birthdays of our beloved and how they like their tea, but we forget unexpected touches, floating glances, casual chats. And sometimes – when we are rapidly torn apart from each other – we engrave such moments into our memory.

The only thing we want is to feel that we are needed. Sometimes we want to scream about it. A story of therapy in a group of sex workers.

The story of the previous year, that for me began when Maidan had started and maybe didn't end yet. The whole year we have lived in the atmosphere of revolution, then war. Whatever you did - you saw these things in the background, you always mean them, although you live not even on a border of war, but deep in in the rear. I want to remember this year, I want to keep the memory of all the people who surrounded me. The year of Maidan, the year marked by war and peace.