Filming turbulent times: is there a Ukrainian documentary wave after 2014? with Yuliia Kovalenko | Kino 2025

The Revolution of Dignity and the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014 opened a new page in the history of Ukraine, not only in political and social life, but also in cinema. The tragic events and turbulent struggle for democracy prompted the emergence of new names on the cinematic landscape—many people who tried to comprehend the events in the country around them through the lenses of cameras. Documentary filmmaking became a natural reaction to changes. However, what at first might have seemed like an activist movement or a desire to simply record the surrounding reality has turned into a multifaceted phenomenon in ten years. Ukrainian documentary film now appears in the programmes of almost every influential international film festival, and receives important awards—including, in particular, the Oscar. How did this happen and what caused this development? And—despite this rapid flourishing—can we really talk about a new Ukrainian wave that is confidently gaining volume, or is it still a successful but shaky coincidence that will easily disappear from the world map of film processes as soon as the level of international attention to the events in Ukraine decreases?

Yuliia Kovalenko is a program director at Docudays UA IHRDFF, a film critic and PhD in Cultural Studies. Preselector of the Berlinale Forum.

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