16 screenings and 1 event at Zhovten, Budynok Kino and Ukrainian-Danish Youth House — day five of the 55th Molodist.
Why tomorrow is worth it:
- Ben'Imana, Caméra d’Or winner at Cannes 2026, in the full-length competition.
- Michał Marczak’s CLOSURE — a Sundance hit and Thessaloniki’s Golden Alexander winner.
- Mykola But’s Hirnyk — Donbas and the volunteers who evacuate people under fire.
- Oleksandr Roshchyn’s On a Stringer in block UA2 — selected for Raindance’s Narrative Short program.
- The Debut Association: three films from 1988–1993 in block SE1.
Films of the day
12:00 · Yastay (Documentary competition)
Dir. Paula Gaetano Adi · Buy ticket
Two centuries later, engineers and Andean muleteers retrace the historic crossing of the Andes — to liberate a robot.
12:30 · Caity (Full-length Films)
Dir. Lindsay Calleran · Buy ticket
The family business is a haunted house: 16-year-old Caity covers for her father when he relapses.
14:00 · Camouflage (Full-length Films)
Dir. Mykyta Gibalenko · Buy ticket
- Family catches up: Vitalik left for Germany in 2021; after the invasion his mother and sister follow, bringing old conflicts with them.
- World premiere in Venice 2026 in Giornate degli Autori.
15:30 · CLOSURE (Festival of Festivals)
Dir. Michał Marczak · Buy ticket
- A father searches the Vistula: Krzysztof went missing in 2023; CCTV shows him standing on a bridge.
- A Sundance hit and winner of the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
16:00 · The Crown Prince And The Return Of The Tyrant (Teen Screen, free admission)
Dir. Tord Danielsson · Get a ticket
A queen’s wedding to the fool is interrupted by the return of the former tyrant’s mother — a fairy-tale adventure from Sweden.
16:00 · Where To (Full-length Films)
Dir. Assaf Machnes · Buy ticket
Berlin from the back seat: a Palestinian Uber driver and a lost young Israeli keep crossing paths, in rides that mix humor and heartache.
16:30 · Hirnyk (Special Events)
Dir. Mykola But · Buy ticket
- Donbas, a choice without a choice: flee or stay — and the volunteers who evacuate people and animals under fire.
- International premiere at CinEast 2026 in Luxembourg; Mykola But himself helped evacuate civilians.
18:15 · Ben'Imana (Full-length Films)
Dir. Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo · Buy ticket
- After the genocide, Vénéranda works for reconciliation, until a family crisis tests her beliefs.
- Caméra d’Or and FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes 2026.
18:15 · As Light as Air (Documentary competition)
Dir. Umair Bilal · Buy ticket
A Sufi town where pilgrims and wanderers surrender together to music and trance.
18:30 · After School (Full-length Films)
Dir. Merijn Scholte Albers, Tobias Smeets · Buy ticket
- Fortysomething teacher Edwin is a control freak whom neither colleagues nor family take seriously.
- A gym teacher’s crude advice after a denied promotion leads to chaos.
19:00 · Never again (Ukrainian Premieres)
Dir. Maksym Tuzov · Buy ticket
Women at war: Maksym Tuzov’s film about those who fight, and about a war that never became the last.
20:15 · Paikar (Documentary competition)
Dir. Dawood Hilmandi · Buy ticket
- A son and his father, a former mujahideen fighter turned spiritual leader and poet, try to find their way back to each other.
- Three awards at IDFA 2025: best first feature, the FIPRESCI Prize and a special mention for best Dutch film.
20:30 · Flesh & Fuel (Full-length Films)
Dir. Pierre le Gall · Buy ticket
Truckers in love: a lonely French driver meets a Polish colleague and tries to make room for love in a punishing job.
National Competition
12 films in two blocks
- UA1 · 11:00 (Zhovten, Anschlag Hall): Homecoming, Glass Castles, High Frequency, Fig, Where is the Ukrainians’ house?, In her arms. Buy ticket
- UA2 · 20:00 (Zhovten, Kinoman Hall): Come Back, Easter Day, Don't be naughty, A Day in the Life of Tatarin, Swear to Me, On a Stringer. Buy ticket
- Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei’s Homecoming won the Wiz-Art 2026 Grand Prix, its National Competition and the award of the National Union of Film Critics of Ukraine.
- Oleksandr Roshchyn’s On a Stringer was selected for Raindance’s Narrative Short program.
Special Events: Debut Association
3 films · Zhovten, Anschlag Hall
- SE1 · 13:30: The Death of the Gods, A faded sakura in my garden, you walk past me again, The Border Under Lock and Key. Buy ticket
- The Debut Association: three films from 1988–1993, including Andriy Donchyk’s The Death of the Gods.
Events of the day
- 13:00 · Lecture: “Who Owns Your Film? Contracts, Copyright, and Legal Traps in Filmmaking” — Speakers: Aliona Hrebenchuk. Ukrainian-Danish Youth House, Volodymyrska street 5B · Ukrainian. Register
