16 screenings and 2 industry events at Zhovten and Budynok Kino — day three of the 55th anniversary “Molodist.”
Why tomorrow is worth it:
- The entire International Short Film Competition in one day. Blocks SH1, SH2 and SH3 cover 17 films, including Pavlo Shpegun’s Venice prizewinner Silence.
- A world premiere: Dmytro Todoriuk’s documentary War Has No Children — four stories of childhood in wartime.
- Yurii Illienko’s A Well for the Thirsty — a specially restored print, made with the Dovzhenko Centre, of a classic of Ukrainian poetic cinema.
- A Palme d’Or winner on the big screen — Imamura Shōhei’s The Ballad of Narayama in the Century retrospective.
- A second chance to see all 16 student films (ST1–ST3) and the Teen Screen film Gugu's World — with free admission.
- A conversation with Liudmyla Gordeladze, who ran Zhovten itself for eighteen years, as she presents her book about running a cinema.
Films of the day
11:30 · A Song Without Home (Documentary competition)
Dir. Rati Tsiteladze · Buy ticket
- A new life in Vienna: young trans woman Adelina after 11 years of isolation in a Georgian village.
- Jury honorable mention in Thessaloniki, screened at CPH:DOX. Its second festival screening.
13:30 · Moonglow (Midnight Special)
Dir. Isabel Sandoval · Buy ticket
- A heist under dictatorship: late-1970s Manila under Ferdinand Marcos, where police detective Dahlia secretly commits a robbery.
15:30 · The Newcomers (Teen Screen)
Dir. Rodrigo Plá · Buy ticket
- An adventure for teens aged 14–16: three kids and their dog Nube find out what is poisoning their rivers.
- Pardo for Change special mention at Locarno.
16:00 · Gugu's World (Teen Screen, free admission)
Dir. Allan Deberton · Get a ticket
- Football and a secret: Gugu dreams of playing soccer and hides his grandmother’s illness so his father won’t take him away.
- Crystal Bear and Grand Prix of Generation Kplus at the Berlinale; Brazil’s Oscar submission.
16:15 · The End Date (Documentary competition)
Dir. Noé Reutenauer · Buy ticket
- “Hurry up and live”: doctors gave Yann Patou three years, but he lived with cancer for eighteen — and kept smiling to the end.
18:00 · Days of Wonder (Documentary competition)
Dir. Karin Pennanen · Buy ticket
- 34 years of secret art: the director uncovers the archive of her uncle Markku.
- Best Film at Doc@PÖFF in Tallinn (2025) and winner at DocPoint in Helsinki (2026).
18:15 · War Has No Children (Documentary competition)
Dir. Dmytro Todoriuk · Buy ticket
- World premiere: four stories of growing up in wartime, when children face adult decisions before they are ready.
19:00 · Vesna (Ukrainian premieres)
Dir. Rostislav Kirpičenko · Buy ticket
- Quiet resistance: in an occupied town, priest Andriy secretly returns the bodies of executed civilians to their families, though burials are forbidden.
- Premiered at Cannes 2026, where it received a standing ovation of nearly 10 minutes.
20:00 · The Ballad of Narayama (Century)
Dir. Imamura Shōhei · Buy ticket
- Palme d’Or, Cannes 1983: in a mountain village, everyone who turns 70 must climb the mountain to die — and this winter it is old Orin’s turn.
- Based on Shichirō Fukazawa’s story, a remake of Keisuke Kinoshita’s 1958 film, with Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin.
20:45 · A Well for the Thirsty (Special Event)
Dir. Yurii Illienko · Buy ticket
- Restored print with the Dovzhenko Centre: Yurii Illienko’s parable about old Levko, who tends the village well and waits for his sons.
- 22 years on the shelf: Illienko’s directing debut, written by Ivan Drach, was shot in 1965, banned, and first screened only in 1987.
Short Films Competition
17 films in three blocks · Zhovten, Hegemon Hall
- SH1 · 13:00: The Man Without Qualities, The Cut, Diego, Thunder, Auntie Lica The Hunchback. Buy ticket
- SH2 · 18:00: Valentine's Day, Silence, The Buzz, Gallina, Procedure, Sand. Buy ticket
- SH3 · 20:15: Another Day In The Metal Box, Aasmani, Breadsong, Mourners, Welcome to Tool Shed, Conception Game. Buy ticket
- Award winners: Pavlo Shpegun’s Silence — Airone della Laguna Award in Venice Orizzonti 2026; Diego — Best Live-Action Short at Cleveland; Aasmani — the directing debut of actor Sayani Gupta.
- Ukrainian films: Silence and Gleb Feldman’s Another Day In The Metal Box (Locarno short film competition 2026).
Student competition — second round
16 films · Zhovten, Anschlag Hall
- ST3 · 11:00, ST2 · 13:00, ST1 · 15:45 — the same blocks as on October 25, in reverse order. Tickets: ST3, ST2, ST1.
- Award winners: "Vaterland" (ST1) — Canal+ Award, Cannes Critics’ Week 2026; Kamathipura Express (ST3) — Bronze Medal at the Student Academy Awards.
Events of the day
House of Cinema, Blue Hall · in Ukrainian · registration required
- 15:00 · Presentation: European Opportunities for Audiovisual Projects: Content and Audience Development — Mykola Ulianov and Oleksandr Khodakivskiy on the MEDIA calls TV & Online Content 2027 and Audience Development and Film Education 2027. Register
- 18:00 · Discussion: Cinema on the Pages: Why Write About Cinema? — the launch of Liudmyla Gordeladze’s book “CINEMA THEATRE. How? Why? For what reasons?”; she directed Zhovten from 2000 to 2018. With Yuriy Samusenko, Ivan Malkovych and Volodymyr Voytenko; moderated by Serhiy Trymbach. Register
