Has-Beens

The municipal district heating company from Ivano-Frankivsk has a cultural offer for its employees. To break away from their daily routine, run-down infrastructure and troublesome clients, they may come to sing in the company choir once a week. The folk and patriotic songs they practice at rehearsals become a bridge between the past communist era and the new political and economic reality. They help them to deal with the shock of transformation and simply spend some time together, just like in the good old times.

This a playful film bringing us back to childhood, where everything started. It portraits seven girls who have grown up and who now "rock". They won't be talking about success, but they are the ones who know the rules of the game, and who also know how to violate them correctly. The film is a collective portrait of seven outstanding women in modern Ukrainian culture: writer Sofia Adrukhovych, cultural journalist Vira Baldyniuk, conductor Oksana Lyniv, artist Alina Kleytman, theatre director Tamara Trunova, cultural manager Yulia Fediv and film director Iryna Tsilyk.

A full-scale invasion found the Kyiv director in a small Bedouin village in the Middle East. It was warm, safe, and unbearably far from home. Once the director had a prophetic dream. She decided to return to Kyiv, still the hostilities were unfolding. Despite the condemnation of relatives and the long journey, she finally managed to cross the threshold of her home. But the house itself has now become forever different.

In 2015, local elections were held for city councils in Ukraine. The film's action takes place in Kyiv. Its protagonists are a young councillor who is just starting in his career, and a member of a major political force. Coffee and discussion on the one hand vs. barbecue and songs on the other. Which one would you choose?

Living is like crossing a bridge. Is it possible that what looks like it is part of a cityscape is in fact a living being? Just like people, it is born, it lives an eventful life, it experiences its fate and its quiet forsaken aging, and then it inevitably dies. Meet Kyiv’s Rybalski Bridge and its memories.

The kaleidoscope of stories shines a light on Ukrainians bravely defending their land against the Russian invasion, where millions struggle for their right to exist. A compendium of short films, this is highlights the full tragedy that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It charts the course of the Russian progression across the country through the lives and communities of those affected by the wide-scale aggression, alongside those fighting for their land. The film details the force of the assault, but its primary focus lies with the strength of the communities that have had to endure unimaginable hardships but who remain resilient in the face of such oppression. It joins an increasing number of ground-level films documenting the reality of this modern tragedy. Initially, the film did not contain an indication of the directors and cinematography team, which was indicated as a team of authors of "KINODOPOMOHA".