History

Over the course of half a century 'Molodist' developed from the local, purely professional review of student films of the newly opened Faculty of Cinematography at the Karpenko-Kary University to a major international event that discovers world-class directors.
Initially, Molodist interested a very narrow circle of professional viewers.

FESTIVAL

NOWADAYS, 'MOLODIST' IS THE ONLY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IN UKRAINE WITH FIAPF (INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION) ACCREDITATION.

‍Vadym Chubasov and Viktor Ivchenko organized a first screening of works by students of Kyiv theatrical institute. It lasted for 2 days and presented 33 films.

In the mid-1970s, Molodist began traveling around the cities of Ukraine (Pavlograd, Kryvyi Rih) and engaged in its program works of students from other Soviet republics. The results of the expansion are evidenced by the names of the winners of the festival in the 1970s: Volodymyr Bortko, Alla Surykova, Vadym Abdrashytov, Mykhailo Illienko.

At the time of perestroika, Molodist was finally entering the international arena. The festival began to screen the films of debutants from countries outside the USSR (even if it was only Poland and the German Democratic Republic) and foreign students of the Karpenko-Kary University.

n the meantime, the Union of Young Cinematographers of Ukraine (UYCU) was formed at the Filmmakers Union of Ukraine. It would organize the festival in times of transition, which were difficult no doubt. In 1991, it was impossible to award cash prizes, and the following year, 1992, the festival did not take place. However, thanks to the efforts of the UYCU, a movie directory was published for each Molodist, which has already become a tradition (this practice began in 1989). In addition, in 1993, following a difficult beginning of the decade, the festival was officially registered as international in the International Federation of Film Producers Associations.The 1990s for Molodist was a period of a new team that discovered new world-class filmmakers. It was in the early 1990s that Andriy Yakovych Khalpakhchi, the current artistic director of the festival, joined the festival. As for the new directors, it is worth mentioning a few names of filmmakers who made their debut in Kyiv: Tom Tykwer, Francois Ozon, Bruno Dumont, Danny Boyle, Lucas Mudisson, Ildiko Enyedi, Jacques Audiard.

In 2010, the 40th jubilee festival opens in Kyiv. Viewers watched almost three hundred films a week, participated in master classes and met with famous directors and actors. For the first time in the program of the festival films that won during the history of the event were also presented. The opening ceremony took place at the The Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian National Opera House with world-class guests - Christopher Lambert, Sophie Marceau, Fanny Ardan and others.

NOWADAYS THE FESTIVAL IS 55 YO AND ITS GOAL REMAINS UNCHANGED – TO UNCOVER IMPORTANT TRENDS OF YOUNG CINEMA DEVELOPMENT AND TOHELP ASPIRING BEGINNER FILMMAKERSFIND THEIR WAY ON THE WORLD CINEMAMAP.

Jury

International Competiton

Joanna Łapińska

Joanna Lapinska is a member of the European Film Academy and the Artistic Director of the Polish Feature Film Festival (FPFF) in Gdynia. A graduate of the psychology department at the University of Warsaw, she is a cultural manager with many years of experience.
From 2002 to 2016, she was associated with the New Horizons International Film Festival, serving as its artistic director since 2007. She launched the New Horizons Studio and invented Polish Days. From 2016 to 2020, she served as Program Director of the Transatlantyk Festival. She also launched the industry event Icebreaker (Lodołamacz).
Before taking the position of Artistic Director of the festival in Gdynia, she served as head of Gdynia Industry. She is an expert for the Polish Film Institute (PISF), the Łódź Film Commission, and the Mazovian and Warsaw Film Funds.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Luca Chikovani

Luca Chikovani was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Due to the post-war and civil war situation in Georgia, Luca and his mother decided to emigrate to Rome, Italy.
He first rose to fame as one of Italy’s pioneering YouTubers, gaining millions of views for his song covers before signing with Universal Music and releasing his successful debut EP ‘Start’, which ranked among Italy’s top three albums. Later, he was discovered by director Alice Rohrwacher and made his breakthrough film debut in LAZZARO FELICE, earning widespread acclaim and numerous international awards.
In recent years, Luca has been deeply involved in humanitarian relief efforts in conflict zones. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, he has organized aid missions — first independently, and later in collaboration with major organizations such as Hope Ukraine, the International Red Cross, and the Chamber of Commerce.
The worsening situation in his home country of Georgia has led him to turn his focus toward activism. He is now pursuing a semi-political path dedicated to supporting the next generations in Georgia and across Europe.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Lyuba Yakimchuk

She is the screenwriter of SLOVO HOUSE. UNFINISHED NOVEL and the documentary SLOVO HOUSE (with film director Taras Tomenko). Yakimchuk is the author of the poetry collections “Apricots of Donbas” and “Like Fashion”, the play “Wall” for the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater in Kyiv, and the short play “Schrödinger’s Cat” for Vienna’s Volkstheater.
Lyuba has taken part in numerous poetry and music projects across Ukraine, the EU, the USA, and India. Her work has been featured by The New York Times, BBC, CBC, and CNN. In 2025, she received the Ukrainian Film Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Golden Dzyga), along with multiple other honors in cinema and literature.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Antoine Arjakovsky

Antoine Arjakovsky is a French historian and research director at the Collège des Bernardins (Paris, France). He previously directed the French Institute in Ukraine and worked as a cultural attaché for cinema for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also published around twenty books, some of which have been published in Ukrainian, such as "Rozbrat Ukraini z Rosieiu" (Kharkiv, Vivat, 2022). He was also the founder and director of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv between 2002 and 2011.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Valeria Sochyvets

Film producer and director. Co-founder of the collective and production Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema (CUC). Member of the European Film Academy and Member of Board of the Ukrainian Film Academy.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

National Competition

Giuseppe Garau

Giuseppe Garau is an Italian filmmaker obsessed with film grammar. Influenced by the raw energy of the hardcore punk scene, his work reflects a bold and uncompromising vision. His debut feature, L’INCIDENTE (THE ACCIDENT), premiered internationally at the Molodist Film Festival in 2023 and earned the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance 2024, marking him as a distinctive new voice in independent cinema.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

J. D. Fernández Molero

Born in 1987, Juan Daniel Fernández Molero is a Peruvian director, producer, and editor known for the experimental doc REMINISCENCES (2010), screened at FIDMarseille and MoMA’s Modern Mondays prestigious avant-garde film program, and the post-internet feature VIDEOPHILIA (AND OTHER VIRAL SYNDROMES) (2015), which won the Tiger Award for Best Film at the 44th Rotterdam International Film Festival and was Peru’s submission for the 89th Academy Awards. His second feature is the hybrid fiction PUNKU (2025), which had its world premiere in the Forum section of the 75th Berlinale and won the Grand Prix at the 25th New Horizons IFF and Best Feature Film at the 15th Bucharest Experimental IFF. Molero has worked as editor on ALBA (2016), THE LOST PUSSY OF THE INCAS (2019), and HUAQUERO (2024), for which he won the Artistic Achievement award for Best Editing at the 19th International Film Festival — Belo Horizonte.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Gala Koziutynska

Gala's debut documentary film, STORKS ALWAYS COME HOME, won the main awards at the Ukrainian film festivals Molodist and Wiz-Art and was screened at many international film festivals, including the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, Brussels Short Film Festival, Interfilm ISFF Berlin, and others.

She is the Creative Director of “What If Creative Studio” and the founder of “Horyshche” (“Attic”) art residency, named after Victor Petrov. She lives in Lviv.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Документальний конкурс

Tor Fosse

He is best known as the festival director and head of programming for the Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF). After leading the festival since its founding in 2000, he stepped down from the role after 24 years of dedicated service.He was also involved in the establishment and running of the distribution company ‘Arthaus’ and the Tromsø International Film Festival, and was a key figure in Norway's film society movement.In 2019, Tor Fosse received the prestigious Film Club Award from the Norwegian Federation of Film Societies for his lifelong dedication to film culture and his outstanding contribution to its promotion.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Volodymyr Mula

Volodymyr Mula is a Ukrainian director and producer from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, founder of the production company TeleProstir Studio. He gained popularity as a sports reporter covering the FIFA World Cup (2014), the Olympic Games (2016, 2018), and UEFA Euro 2016 for leading Ukrainian and international media outlets (BBC News Ukrainian, “1+1” TV channel, ICTV, Hromadske TV).Since 2015, he has focused on documentary filmmaking. He is the director of the films AMERICAN DREAM (2016) and AMERICAN DREAM. IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH (2017). His film UKE (2020), about Ukrainian NHL Stanley Cup winners, became the highest-grossing documentary in Ukraine. He also directed the film FOOTBALL NATION (2021) for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's National Football Team.In 2022, he became a director and field producer for the international documentary project FOOTBALL MUST GO ON, which won an Emmy Award in 2024.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Yolande Zauberman

Born in Paris, Yolande Zauberman was introduced to cinema by director Amos Gitaï. In 1987, she made her first documentary, CLASSIFIED PEOPLE, about apartheid in South Africa, which won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at the Paris Film Festival. In 1993, she directed her first fiction film in Yiddish, ME IVAN, YOU ABRAHAM, which won several international awards, including the Youth Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Her documentary THE BELLE FROM GAZA was featured in the Panorama section of the 2025 Sunny Bunny Queer Film Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

TEEN SCREEN

Denys Muchchi

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Ihnat Ponomarov

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Anhelina Kalaeva

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Yaryna Deviatko

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Polina Deviatko

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

The Union of Film Critics of Ukraine

Yana Dudko

Film scholar at the Dovzhenko Centre, cultural manager, film critic. Committee member of the National Film Critics Award “Kinokolo”.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Oleksander Gusev

Film critic, festival programmer. Film reviewer for Ukrinform and Yabl, programme director of the Euregion Film Forum and the SHIFT Film Festival. Member of FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics), the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Film Academy. Board member of the Ukrainian Film Critics Union and the committee of the National Film Critics Award “Kinokolo”. Expert for the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Ihor Kromf

Ukrainian film critic, contributor to the new Ukrainian culture media outlets LiRoom and LB.UA, host of the "Director's Cut"  podcast. Member of FIPRESCI and the Ukrainian Film Critics Union. Committee member of the National Film Critics Award “Kinokolo”.

режисер кіноПольща і театру, актор, Румунія

Regulations 2025

1. PURPOSE
1.1. Kyiv International Film Festival «Molodist» will be held for the 55th time in Kyiv from 24 of October to 1 of November 2026.
1.2. The Festival has been established by the «Molodist» foundation.
1.3. The Festival is a part of the list of specialized film festivals, accredited by FIAPF and has such objectives as:
to analyze the main trends in the work of emerging filmmakers around the world;
to establish and broaden creative contacts between emerging filmmakers and between film schools;
to recognize new personalities in modern film art;
to integrate Ukrainian films into the global process of film art and industry;
to develop Kyiv as a cultural capital of Europe.
2. SECTIONS OF THE FESTIVAL AND ELIGIBILITY OF FILMS
2.1. International Competition program
2.1.1. International Competition program consists of three categories:
student films (up to 45’)
first professional short (fiction, animation, documentary) films (up to 45')
first professional full-length fiction films (60' or more)
2.1.2. All films produced after January 1, 2026 at professional studios or film schools are eligible for submission to the program.
2.1.3. Submitted films to Student and Short categories will be considered in case of availability of 35mm film print, DCP, BluRay, or HD digital files as screening media.
2.1.4. Submitted films to the Full-length category will be considered in case of the presence of 35mm film print or DCP as screening media.
2.1.5. Films that have been screened in Ukraine are not eligible for submission to the program.
2.2. National Competition program of short films
2.2.1. Short films (fiction, animation, documentary) produced in Ukraine (or in co-production with Ukraine) after January 1, 2025 (any media) are eligible for submission to the program.
2.2.2. Films that have been screened in Ukraine are eligible for submission to the program.
2.3. Competition program «Teen Screen»
2.3.1. Full-length films (fiction) produced after January 1, 2025 (any media) are eligible for submission to the program.
2.4. First professional Documentary films competition program
2.4.1. All films produced after January 1, 2025 at professional studios or film schools are eligible for submission to the program.
2.4.2. Submitted films to Documentary category will be considered in case of the presence of 35mm film print or DCP as a screening media.
2.4.3. Films that have been screened in Ukraine are not eligible for submission to the program.
2.5. Non-competition section
The festival also has a non-competition section which represents selections of the latest films from a certain country or region, productions of film schools, thematic programs, retrospectives, and special events.
3. ENTRY AND SELECTION
3.1. Each film received by the Festival needs to have English-language subtitles as well as detailed documentation in English, including:
synopsis of the film
biography and filmography of the director
cast/crew and technical information
Footage from the film (in digital print quality) (high resolution JPEG)
Director's photo (in digital printing quality) (high resolution JPEG)
Dope sheets in Ukrainian or English
3.2. Registration of a film at the festival requires payment of a registration fee (except for Ukrainian films).
3.3. The Festival doesn’t return an entry form, preview-DVD of film or accompanied documentation (excluding special agreements).
3.4. The period of acceptance of films and documentation is untill August 1, 2026.
3.5. Films will be selected by a Selection Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors.
3.6. The Selection Committee will announce its decision during the period of Septemeber 1-15, 2026.
4. FESTIVAL OBLIGATIONS
4.1. Festival films will be insured the amount of their print value by the festival. Insurance coverage takes effect from the registration of the film's arrival in Kyiv until they are handed over to a forwarding agent for return dispatch.
4.2. Festival guarantees the right presentation of the film in all informational issues that will be distributed during the Festival such as catalog, program, website etc.
4.3. Festival guarantees to participants that no film selected for the festival program will be screened before its official presentation.
4.4. Festival has an obligation to prevent all film materials from screen capture and piracy during the selection process and screenings according to FIAPF standards (Chapter IV, article 8 of the Regulations for International Film Festivals).
5. FESTIVAL RIGHTS
5.1. The Festival will not pay screening fees for the films selected for the International and the National Competition program.
5.2. Festival does not inform applicants about the reason(s) for rejection of the application.
5.3. Festival has the right to 3 screenings of the films selected for the official competition. Number of screenings of films in other competition sections as well as non-competition sections is agreed with the rights holder.
5.4. Films selected for student or short international competition sections could be screened within the noncommercial presentational programs of the festival on the territory of Ukraine during the period of 2026-2027 in case of filmmaker’s (right holder’s) approval mentioned in the completed entry form.
5.5. Films selected for the National competition section could be screened within the non-commercial presentational programs of the festival overseas during the period of 2026-2027 in case of author’s (right holder’s) approval mentioned in the completed entry form.
6. JURY
6.1. The Board of Directors forms an International Jury which awards the films of the International Competition program and operates according to the Regulations for International Film Festivals by FIAPF as well as Regulations of Kyiv International Film Festival «Molodist».
6.2. The National Competition program has its own jury.
6.3. Competition program «Teen Screen» has its own children’s jury.
6.4. First professional Documentary film competition program has its own jury.
6.5. FIPRESCI, FICC, and Ecumenical juries as well as other juries can be also presented at the festival.
7. AWARDS
7.1. The sums of prizes are provided before taxes. The payment of money made after deductions and payment of taxes is provided in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine.
Grand Prix for the Best film of International Competition program (5 000 USD and the statuette «The Scythian Deer»)
Prize for the Best film in each category of International Competition program (2 000 USD and the statuette «The Scythian Deer»)
Prize for the Best film of National Competition program (50 000 UAH and the statuette «The Scythian Deer»)
Award of Jury of Competition program «Teen Screen» (2 000 USD and the statuette «The Scythian Deer»)
Award of Jury of Documentary Competition program (2 000 USD and the statuette «The Scythian Deer»)
Festival diplomas.
7.2. Other awards:
Honorary Scythian Deer for Сontribution to World Cinema
Audience prize (statuette «The Scythian Deer»)
FIPRESCI jury prize (in case of its presence at the festival)
«Don Quixote» prize (in case of presence at the festival)
Ecumenical jury prize (in case of its presence at the festival)
Other non-regulation awards sponsored by private persons, organizations, or institutions may be awarded by the approval of the Board of Directors of the festival.
8. INVITATION AND ATTENDANCE
8.1. Directors of films selected for the International full-length competition section are invited as participants (travel expenses and 4 nights accommodation are covered by the festival).
8.2. Directors of films selected for International student or short International competition sections are invited as participants (4 nights accommodation are covered by the festival).
8.3. Applications for accreditation as a guest or press must be received not later than October 15, 2026.
8.4. The participants invited to Kyiv are obliged to provide all the information requested by the guest service in a period of 7 days after the invitation.
8.5. The participants who are not able to attend due to various reasons except for unpredictable circumstances of non-personal character can inform the guest service of the festival within 7 days before the arrival date. In case the participants are late with informing the guest service and can not attend the festival, they are obliged to reimburse the costs that have been already incurred for their visit to Kyiv.
9. PROMOTION AND ADVERTISING
The Board of Directors provides free advertising and public information for festival films and organizations participating in the festival. Advertising campaigns of any other organizations or films are subject to special agreement.
10. NON-SPECIFIED CASES
Cases not covered by these regulations will be considered directly by the festival organizers in compliance with the Regulations for International Film Festivals by FIAPF.
Submit
Foundation of сitizens "Molodist”
USREOU code 26079938
tickets@molodist.com
press@molodist.com
+38 091 600 52 08