21 NOVEMBER 2024
The Wound 21/11/2024 10:00
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Directed by Seloua El Gouni
Morocco/ 2024 / 114 min / Arabic, English / Drama
Feature Fiction Competition
UK Premiere
The Wound tells the story of Leila, a young woman in contemporary Morocco who is caught between her own desires and the societal and familial expectations that bind her. As she navigates the pressures of tradition and personal identity, Leila faces a heartbreaking choice that forces her to confront the deep conflicts within herself. The film explores themes of love, tradition, and the limitations placed on women, revealing the emotional and societal wounds that shape her journey.
Directed by Inna Mkhitaryan
Armenia/ 2022 / 114 min / Armenian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Documentary Competition
UK Premiere
In an Armenian village with a patriarchal tradition, five women who are daughters, mothers and grandmothers debate together about life and war while they prepare lavash the Armenian traditional bread.
TONRATUN. The Armenian History told by women 21/11/2024 12:20
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Short Film Competition
Almanac 1
21/11/2024 14:00
The Unreachable Star - Directed by Sharon S. Park
USA/ 2023 / 15 min / English / Slice of Life, Family, Period
London Premiere
Inspired by the grand tales of Don Quixote, a brother and sister set off in search of adventure to escape their own wartime reality, but ultimately find that the greatest act of heroism is the imagination they lend to each other.
Mother - Directed by Mariia Felenko
Ukraine/ 2023 / 8 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Drama
With the beginning of the war, Katya decided to leave her hometown and take her mother. But mother is getting her nails done.
Fever - Directed by Bianca Bothma
South Africa/ 2023 / 11 min / English / Comedy
London Premiere
As Simoné prepares to pitch her way to the top, her body has other plans - and a lone tampon becomes her greatest nemesis in a battle to keep her cool, her clothes clean, and her career on track.
Claimant - Directed by Nadereh Sadat Serki
Iran/ 2023 / 11 min / Original with English subtitles / Drama
London Premiere
“Claimant"is about a father who discovers that his teenage daughter was assaulted and raped so decides to confront and punish the rapist, but since the culprit is a very proficient lawyer he uses laws in a way that he not only escapes from justice but also legally make the father the criminal.
Mokosh - Directed by Anna Dudko
Ukraine/ 2023 / 5 min / No Dialogue / Animated drama
UK Premiere
The film is dedicated to women who have faced sexual violence under occupation. The Sun is breaking into pieces and hard times are coming. In the devastating chaos, Mother Nature gives birth to a new cycle of life.
The Wooden Wedding - Directed by Yuliia Kokodynska
Ukraine/ 2022 / 5 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Drama
A young woman prepares a romantic dinner with champagne and candles to celebrate the fifth wedding anniversary with her husband. But suddenly their cheerful conversation is interrupted by the sounds of sirens and their bursts of laughter by the explosions of bombs.
72 - Directed by Marissa Chibás
USA/ 2023 / 15 min / English, Spanish / Drama
European Premiere
It’s New York City 1972 and Cuban immigrant Gloria Cienfuegos’s life and New Year’s Eve party are upended when her 18-year-old daughter Viv announces that she’s being sworn in that week as an American citizen, creating a showdown between the two women.
War, Explosion, Depression & Other types of pillow talk - Directed by Pamela C. SAADE
France/ 2023 / 5 min / Arabic, English, French / Drama
During her nights with her lovers, Rayane finds herself ruminating on her war stories, explosions, and depression, of which she is not really aware.
Buzzkill - Directed by Amanda Griswold
USA/ 2024 / 9 min / English / Comedy, Horror, Thriller, Young Adult
UK Premiere
A jealous vibrator will do whatever it takes to secure its spot in its owner's life.
In the Night - Directed by Shireen Khaled
USA/ 2024 / 12 min / English / Drama
UK Premiere
A long-married couple, amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, comes to the realization that they have suddenly fallen out of love.They spend their night trying to fall in love - again.
Q&A session with Nicole Ansari-Cox
Porcelain War
21/11/2024 16:00
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Directed by Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
USA, Ukraine, Australia / 2024 / 87 min / Ukrainian and russian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Documentary Competition
UK Premiere
Amid the chaos of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists—Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov—defy the destruction, finding inspiration in their culture and their country. Armed with their art, cameras, and for the first time, weapons, they stand firm as civilians amidst war. Anya uses her art to resist, Andrey risks everything to protect his family, and Slava trains new soldiers. As the war escalates, Andrey documents their journey, while Anya and Slava, through delicate porcelain figurines, capture the fragility of their past, present, and hope for the future.
Directed by Ellen Kuras
United Kingdom / 2023 / 117 min / English/ Documentary/Biography, History, Drama, War
The story of photographer Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller, an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II. Starring Kate Winslet.
Opening Film Screening - Red Carpet Event
Lee + Q&A session with Kate Solomon and Anthony Penrose
21/11/2024 17:00
Location: Rich Mix Cinema
(35-47 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6LA)
22 NOVEMBER 2024
Directed by Philip Sotnychenko
Ukraine / 2023 / 100 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Crime drama, Comedy/16+
Feature Fiction Competition
UK Premiere
In 1996, Ukraine is preparing to sign a document that will abolish the death penalty. Forensic psychiatrist Oleksandr and his friend, investigator Ilghar, are investigating the murder of their colleague, a police officer. The three men were bound by their work, a deep friendship, and their shared feelings for the same woman. Now, she is the widow of the fallen officer.
La Palisiada
22/11/2024 10:00
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Short Film Competition
Almanac 2
22/11/2024 12:00
The Middle - Directed by Sylvia Ray
USA/ 2024 / 12 min / English / Drama
European Premiere
A desert teen tries to escape the consequences of a pivotal night and has to decide between telling the truth and protecting her family.
Super Human Anxiety - Directed by Ashley Maria
USA/ 2024 / 9 min / English / Fantasy, Comedy, LGBTQ, Mental health
European Premiere
“Super Human Anxiety” is about a teenage girl, Whitney, who thinks she’s hiding her strong emotions well. But, when her elevator breaks down, fate forces her to out her secret.
UNDER THE WING OF A NIGHT - Directed by Lesia Diak
UKraine/ 2023 / 19 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Documentary
UK Premiere
Olesia, an 11-year-old teen from Ukraine, is growing up under the wing of her mother, away from home. Dance and touch are her ways to release anger and adjust to the reality of Brussels. Every evening Olesia waits for dad’s call from Ukraine. The family’s extreme closeness nurtures the strength of this young girl whose fragility is exposed to constant war-related anxiety after the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The other side - Directed by Nataliia Dzhura
UKraine/ 2022 / 13 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Drama
UK Premiere
Sashka is an ordinary teenager and the captain of his school’s basketball team, which is preparing for the national championship. He is confident that winning will be an important step towards fulfilling his big dream — to play for Ukraine’s national team. But his life drastically changes after meeting a mysterious girl, Katya, who seems to come from another world.
Saint Sophia - Directed by Mariia Khomutina
UKraine/ 2024 / 12 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Drama, Biopic
World Premiere
The beginning of the 20th century was marked by significant and dramatic events that changed the whole of Europe. Bringing much grief and suffering, the First World War produced hardened personalities. Sofia Okunevska fights for the right to treat people and be a doctor, despite the fact that she is a woman.
Small Chops - Directed by Stephanie Boateng
United Kingdom/ 2023 / 11 min / English / Drama, Comedy
‘Small Chops’ is a heartwarming short film that follows the rekindling of a deep friendship between Chinwe and Leanna, who, after a prolonged separation due to the demands of adulthood, come together for a memorable day filled with an unexpected twist.
1 in the Chamber - Directed by Annie Girard, Diana Wright
USA/ 2024 / 7 min / English / Comedy, Thriller
UK Premiere
A work-obsessed assassin sent to “retire” her coworker is shocked to discover her target is pregnant and infuriated by how baby-proofed a nursery can be.
Sally, Get the Potatoes - Directed by Danicah Waldo
USA/ 2024 / 17 min / English / Drama, Coming-of-age
UK Premiere
A little girl's innocence is shattered when she takes an unexpected ride in her wealthy family's rolling laundry cart and learns their dark secrets.
Directed by Sarah McCarthy
United Kingdom/ 2024 / 80 min / Estonian, russian, Ukrainian with English subtitles / Documentary Film
Deep in a forest by the Baltic Sea, a group of Ukrainian families come together to start the healing process with the help of golden retrievers and palamino horses at an animal therapy retreat. In the safety of the forest, the children’s memories of being illegally deported to Russia and their families' struggles to rescue them are unraveled with the help of skilled and sensitive counselors.
The joy and humour the children discover during their time in the forest make it easy to forget that their stories are the reason the International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. Nearly 20,000 abducted children remain in Russian institutions.
After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home + Q&A session with Sarah McCarthy
22/11/2024 14:00
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Attention! Closed Screening: This is a private, non-competitive screening available by registration only.
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Another Summer – Stories of Exile + Q&A session with Alzbeta Kovandova-Bartoníčková
22/11/2024 16:00
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Directed by David Edwards, Alžběta Kovandová-Bartoníčková
USA/ 2024 / 102 min /Persian, russian, Ukrainian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Documentary Competition
London Premiere
Afghanistan and Ukraine, what do they have in common? And what remains of humanity when conflict outbursts?
Another Summer tells stories of Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in Europe through their perspective. It is a film by refugees about refugees – the directors of Another Summer provided training and equipment to a group of Afghan and Ukrainian first-time filmmakers who had taken refuge in different European countries after the Taliban takeover in 2021 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Does it matter where you come from when you have to leave your home, what was yours has been stolen or destroyed and your past has been stripped away?
Directed by Waad Al-Kateab
United Kingdom/ 2024 / 84 min / Turkish, Syrian, English with English subtitles / Documentary
One year ago, the worst earthquake in more than a century hit Syria and Turkey, sparking both a natural and human-made disaster. With incredible on-the-ground access, the film follows two Syrian families over the course of 10 days after the disaster, as they piece together the tragedy and uncover revelations about the corruption, lies and government incompetence that exacerbated the disaster and its response. Waad Al-Kateab
Death without Mercy + QsA session with Waad Al-Kateab, Hasan Katan, Fadi Alhalabi
22/11/2024 18:10
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Zinema
22/11/2024 20:00
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London
(26 Kensington Palace Gardens, W84QY)
Directed by Kornii Hritsiuk
Ukraine / 2024 / 78 min / Ukrainian and russian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Documentary Competition
UK Premiere
Amid Russia's brutal 2022 invasion of Ukraine, filmmaker Kornii Hritsiuk stays in war-torn Ukraine, haunted by a chilling question: Could Russian cinema be a sinister weapon of the Kremlin? Investigating 30 years of Russian films, he uncovers a nightmarish truth—these productions may serve as potent propaganda, insidiously shaping perceptions and justifying aggression. His documentary, Zinema, plunges into the abyss of Russian cinema, exposing a web of lies and xenophobia that underpins Russia’s imperial ambitions. What terrifying secrets lie hidden in these seemingly innocuous films?
23 November 2024
Directed by Taras Dron
Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Cyprus / 2023 / 99 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Thriller, Drama
Feature Fiction Competition
UK Premiere
The life of ambitious architect Victoria changes after her daughter disappears, accused of drug trafficking. Victoria launches her own investigation and tries to prove her daughter’s innocence and avoid losing an important project.
The Glass House + QsA session with Iryna Ostrovska
23/11/2024 12:00
Location: Rich Mix Cinema
(35-47 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6LA)
Directed by Andriy Kolesnyk
Produced by FILM.UA Group
Ukraine / 2024 / 95 min / English / Revenge movie, Horror /18+
Feature Fiction Competition
UK Premiere
The ancient witch from Ukrainian town Konotop (which has always been believed to be the place where witches have been mostly born) renounced her powers after falling in love with a mortal guy, but when the war starts and russian soldiers occupy the city and brutally murder her beloved, she decides to take revenge on them, returns her powers, and subjects her fiancé`s killers to the horrendous and bloody retributions.
The Witch. Revenge
23/11/2024 14:00
Location: Rich Mix Cinema
(35-47 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6LA)
Directed by Natasha Craveiro
Cape Verde/ 2023 / 60 min / Original with English subtitles / Drama
Feature Fiction Competition
Pirinha follows a young woman on a journey through her subconscious, seeking to understand her past and find herself. Along the way, she encounters "evil" creatures from Cape Verdean folklore, once feared in her childhood, only to realize that true evil lies elsewhere. Her journey is also shaped by memories of her grandmother, a woman knowledgeable in traditional medicine, who healed her with ancient remedies. The film blends themes of healing, cultural rituals, and the hope that even the darkest experiences can lead to growth and sweetness, symbolized by the traditional Cape Verdean sweets, pirinhas.
Pirinha
23/11/2024 16:00
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Festival Hub Screening
22 November 2024
Directed by Olena Kryvenko
Ukraine/ 2024 / 66 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Documentary, Television
Feature Television Competition
A documentary anthology that includes 3 separate stories about military chaplains of the Protestant faith. They work with the military in different ways - they travel to the front line, pray with them in the trenches, visit them in hospitals, record motivational videos in TikToks and deliver humanitarian aid.
Military chaplains. Pray in hell
22/11/2024 12:00
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Directed by Fruzsina Skrabski, Sándor Kiss
Hungary/ 2022 / 50 min / Original with English subtitles / Documentary, Television
Feature Television Competition
The Inherited Shame is the sequel to the 2013 film Silenced Shame. The first film is about the Hungarian victims of rape during the Soviet occupation of Hungary, and the sequel is about how the trauma suffered by their ancestors lives on in the descendants of the victims. The head of the Gulág Foundation, inherited this organization from her mother, and she works tirelessly to make the past accessible to the future generation.
Inherited Shame
22/11/2024 13:20
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Directed by Davoud Abdolmaleki
Iran / 2024 / 95 min / Persian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Television Competition
UK Premiere
Are we responsible for our destiny? Do we have the ability to change the circumstances of our lives? The students of a Girls High school have lived the answers to these questions.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE
22/11/2024 14:20
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Short Television Competition
Almanac 3
22/11/2024 16:00
Vita - Directed by Vita Stoikova
Ukraine/ 2023 / 12 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Documentary
European Premiere
"VITA" is a short documentary film about Vita's neonatology department, which deals with premature, "pathological", abandoned and healthy children every day. At any moment she can go into labor, even if the air alarm sounds and the Shaheds fly, at any moment she must be ready to save the life that has just come into the world. She wants to have her own family, but she devotes herself to work.
We Are Home - Directed by Anton Chystiakov, Roman Krasnoschok
UKraine/ 2024 / 15 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles/ Documentary
UK Premiere
As war ravages their homeland, Ukrainian children flee their homes out of fear. Across the country, young lives are uprooted and transformed overnight. But even amidst devastating loss, the children's resilience and optimism shine through.
Eva Haller: A Work in Progress - Directed by Jeanne Meyers
USA/ 2024 / 12 min / English / Documentary
This short film highlights the philosophy and impact of Eva Haller, a 94 holocaust survivor and activist.
Long story -short: we need home For Ukraine - Directed by Ksenia Bugrimova
Ukraine/ 2023 / 30 min /Ukrainian and russian with English subtitles / Documentary
London Premiere
March 2022.Russia attacked Ukraine. Julia's family is in hell in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Miraculously, they escape the war and go to Great Britain to seek peace under the "Home For Ukraine" program. Former Tennis Player British number 1, and commentator of Wimbledon, Andrew Castle and his wife Sophie open the door of their home to them. But only for 6 months. Will she be able to build a new life in a foreign country in such a short time?
Directed by Domnikiia Levchyk
Ukraine / 2023 / 70 min / Ukrainian and russian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Television Competition
World Premiere
Memoria seeks to explore and understand the complex historical events of two pivotal years: 1941 and 2022. The narrative is woven from personal testimonies about war and human devastation, yet these difficult subjects are approached through universal experiences and emotions: childhood, family, loss. All the characters have lived or are living through these events as children, sharing profound commonalities.
Memoria
22/11/2024 17:30
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Directed by Mariia Springis
United Kingdom/ 2023 / 73 min /English, Ukrainian / Documentary
Feature Television Competition
UK Premiere
The aim of the documentary is to provide an informative account of the ways in which the war has impacted the Children of Ukraine, as well as the long-lasting effect this will have on the future of Ukraine — socially, politically and economically.
Why us
22/11/2024 18:50
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
23 November 2024
Directed by Vitalii Havura
Author/Reporter - Yevheniia Motorevska
Ukraine / 2023 / 60 min / Ukrainian, English / Documentary, Investigation
Feature Television Competition
UK Premiere
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has used the Olenivka prison, located in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast, as a camp for prisoners of war and civilian hostages from Mariupol. Thousands of Ukrainians, including servicemen from the Azov Brigade, have been held captive in its cells. Those who returned from captivity spoke about the inhumane conditions of detention, hunger, and torture in this prison.
Faces of Torture
23/11/2024 11:00
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Directed by Burçe Bahadır
Turkey/ 2024 / 54 min /Bosnian with English subtitles / Documentary, Television
Feature Television Competition
UK Premiere
Zehra was raped during the Bosnian War. For years she fought for the rapist to be punished. Unafraid, she participates in demonstrations and shows the buildings that were used as rape houses during the Bosnian War.
My Mother's War, Zehra
23/11/2024 12:10
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
The Rising Sun
23/11/2024 13:10
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Directed by Alyona Kaporina
United Kingdom/ 2024 / 70 min /Ukrainian with English subtitles / Documentary
Feature Television Competition
London Premiere
We had a wonderful life, a perfect life in general. We had dreams, goals, prospects, and we were working towards them. I had a full-fledged family, we had great relationships with everyone, friends. Everything was perfect. And now..." No family, no home, no language... A happy life that was destroyed by Russia is behind. Darkness, uncertainty and fear are ahead. This is the heartbreaking story of a young woman who, with her young son and a great tragedy of her own, found herself in the UK because of the war in Ukraine.
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
He came back
23/11/2024 14:30
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Directed by Max Yakobchuk, Vitalii Havura
Author/Reporter - Olesia Bida
Ukraine/ 2024 / 60 min /English, Ukrainian / Documentary, Investigation
Feature Television Competition
UK Premiere
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have recorded 292 cases of sexual violence by the Russian military. This figure likely represents just the tip of the iceberg.
“He Came Back” is an investigative documentary about sexual crimes that were committed during the Russian occupation of Kyiv and Kherson oblasts in early 2022.
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.
Short Experimental Competition
Almanac 4
23/11/2024 17:20
Fiat Nox! - Directed by Artem Sharapko
Ukraine/ 2024 / 17 min / Ukrainian with English subtitles / Animation, Experimental, Drama
European Premiere
Nadia is a 19-year-old resident of Kyiv. Her father was a soldier who died a year ago during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This morning, Nadia wakes up to the sound of an air raid siren. She thinks about her peaceful past and remembers a fairy tale her father used to tell her when she was a child. The story always helped calm her down when she was afraid of the dark. However, Nadia finds herself trapped in a powerless elevator and forced to confront her destiny during the most difficult time of her life.
Salt Water - Directed by Hilaria Landaverde
USA/ 2024 / 4 min / English / Experimental, Drama
European Premiere
Have you ever drank your own tears for survival?
DOVKOLA - Directed by Flora Borovyk
Ukraine/ 2023 / 6 min / No Dialogue / Experimental, Music Video
European Premiere
"DOVKOLA" is the autobiographical dance film inspired by the healing nature of the Ukrainian Carpathians. This is a sophisticated combination of the expressive possibilities of cinema, dance and music.
RYTA RAY - FREQUENCY OF LOVE - Directed by Nikita Kvasnikov
Ukraine/ 2023 / 3 min / English / Experimental, Music Video
UK Premiere
The plot centres around Ukrainian rescuers saving people’s lives barehanded these days. They carry the singer out of the burning building as she continues to share her truth bravely, to be resilient and follows her heart despite the world is crushing around her.
Into The Void - Directed by Giovannie Espiritu
USA/ 2024 / 2 min /English/ Experimental, Drama
European Premiere
A spoken word poem about sexual assault.
Directed by Richard Parry
United Kingdom / 2023 / 73 min / English / Documentary
Feature Television Competition
This compelling documentary follows a woman's five year struggle to bring to justice one of Britain's most prolific serial rapist.
I Believe Me (aka Catching My Rapist)
23/11/2024 18:00
Location: Festival Hub
(23-24, Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PT)
Free to attend! Please book a ticket to reserve your seat.