International Competition Program

Student Films

The boldest work by film-school students from around the world — first steps by directors who will shape the language of cinema tomorrow.

International Competition Program

Short Films

Short films by emerging professional directors: concise, precise and surprising stories that fit a whole world into a few minutes.

International Competition Program

Full-length Films

Debut feature films — the heart of the Molodist competition: new names in world cinema, discovered first in Kyiv.

National Competition Program

Short Film Competition

The year's best Ukrainian short films — a fresh perspective from a new generation of Ukrainian filmmakers.

Alternative Competition

Documentary Competition

Documentary cinema that explores reality unvarnished: personal stories, urgent themes and new forms of storytelling.

Alternative Competition

Teen Screen

Films about and for teenagers — on growing up, friendship, first love and finding yourself.

Non-Competition Program

Ukrainian Premieres

New Ukrainian films that audiences will see on the big screen for the first time at Molodist.

Non-Competition Program

Festival of Festivals

The year's key films from the world's leading film festivals — on the big screen in Kyiv.

Non-Competition Program

Midnight Special

Genre, strange and provocative cinema for those who aren't afraid of late-night screenings.

Non-Competition Program

FORMA (Experimental Program)

Experimental cinema that tests the limits of form, sound and image.

Non-Competition Program

Scandinavian Panorama

A selection of contemporary Nordic cinema — restrained, profound and visually refined stories.

Retrospectives & In Memoriam

Century

A retrospective marking the centenaries of great filmmakers — classics worth seeing on the big screen.

Special Events & Satellite Projects

Special Events

Special screenings, filmmaker encounters and the festival's satellite projects — features and shorts.

Ceremonies

Opening Film

The film that opens the 55th edition of Molodist.

Ceremonies

Closing Film

The film that closes the festival after the awards ceremony.

Programme

Full-length films

Programme films

ST 1

Block 1

Block films

Bitter Kiss

Bitter Kiss

Hasan Ege Çalışkan

Netherlands, Türkiye
January 1, 2026
28'

A chance reunion with a childhood friend forces an introverted young man to confront the dark desires he has spent years trying to suppress.

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Restricted Area

Restricted Area

Jan Górecki

Poland
January 1, 2026
16'

Karol, a Warsaw-based driver of Ethiopian descent, is brutally assaulted on his way to Białowieża and illegally pushed across the border. Wandering through the border forest, he experiences the reality of migrants trapped between systems of violence.

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Shutterspeed

Shutterspeed

Jasper De Maeseneer

Belgium
January 1, 2025
25’

Fifteen-year-old Cas poses for his school’s trainee teacher and amateur photographer Jard. When he becomes painfully aware of the power imbalance between them, he seeks to reverse their dynamic.

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The Flowers of Malva

The Flowers of Malva

Anna Lys, Rémy Berlemont, Alice Hamel, Chen-Yun Hu, Ludivine Lebourg, Estelle Martin, Agathe Ribout

France
January 1, 2025
7’

In a small village in the Ukrainian countryside, Nina, a grandmother deeply attached to her land, welcomes her granddaughter Yana for what appears to be a simple holiday. In reality, she is trying to hide the war that is ravaging the country from her granddaughter by creating an imaginary world where everything is fine.

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"Vaterland" Or A Bule Named Yanto

"Vaterland" Or A Bule Named Yanto

Berthold Wahjudi

Germany, Indonesia
January 1, 2026
25’

When German-Indonesian Yanto visits his younger sister in Yogyakarta, he expects a simple reunion – until he realises she belongs more effortlessly than he ever has. As envy and dissonance between siblings surface, Yanto’s journey becomes a bittersweet exploration of mixed-race identity.

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ST 2

Block 2

Block films

Rabbit Heart

Rabbit Heart

Stella Fachinger

Germany
January 1, 2026
13’

An abandoned factory site. Twelve-year-old Hannes pushes his little brother Oli into increasingly dangerous tests of courage with a bow and arrow. When he puts them both in a life-threatening situation, his power begins to crumble.

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Reminiscence

Reminiscence

Iryna Melnychenko

Switzerland
January 1, 2025
25'

Ira Melnichenko, a young Ukrainian refugee in Switzerland with her brother, creates a doll in her own image, through which she revisits the story of a family torn apart by the death of her father, a 2D animator in Kyiv, destroyed by alcohol and dereliction.

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Sundown

Sundown

Jérémie Jayraj Itty, Inna Soroka, Julia Estrada Torres, Sammi Khuu

Switzerland
January 1, 2026
7'

Joakim, a young, compassionate caregiver working in a dementia ward, navigates the emotional toll of his work as he learns to accept the limits of his ability to help.

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The Bistro

The Bistro

Skaistė Bartkutė

Lithuania
January 1, 2026
12'

One summer, a twelve-year-old girl works at her grandma’s bistro, full of strange adults.

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The Bright Hours

The Bright Hours

Yeh Chia-chen

Taiwan
January 1, 2026
20'

Ten-year-old Great Demon is a whirlwind of mischief and imagination, leaving chaos and laughter in his wake. But beneath his wild antics lies a quiet loneliness. One ordinary day, a strange new friend named Ke appears out of nowhere, turning Great Demon’s world upside down.

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White-Knuckle Summer

White-Knuckle Summer

Jason Hogan

UK
January 1, 2026
20'

Set in a divided British seaside town, ten-year-old Ruby forms an unlikely friendship with Hasset, an asylum seeker living in a local hotel, as one summer of freedom collides with the threat of rising anti-migrant protests.

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ST 3

Block 3

Block films

C'est La Vie

C'est La Vie

Zheng Zihan

China
2026
30'

Forced to track down his runaway, dialysis dependent grandfather, a struggling art student is pulled into an absurd road trip to catch a legendary fish journey that brings him face to face with the old man’s fading past, and his own stalled life.

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Kamathipura Express

Kamathipura Express

Leon Korzynski

Poland
2026
30’

A young Polish man, Osa, lives in the slums of Mumbai, where he falls in love with Sapna, a teenage dancer from a poor family. When Sapna's father tries to sell her to a brothel, the couple is forced on a desperate run across India.

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La Forma Cannibale

La Forma Cannibale

Ginevra Solaroli

Italy
2025
16’

After Giovanna's death, Ivan clings to her gestures, objects, and rituals. What begins as a tribute gradually turns into an obsession, until it blurs the boundaries between identity, love and memory.

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Meat

Meat

Adolfo Margulis

Mexico
2026
17'

Jak, a young Haitian migrant, must reach the U.S. border with his father, but his mother’s disappearance forces him to choose between continuing or confronting the past.

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Un verre de souvenir

Un verre de souvenir

Louis Marguerite

France
2025
13'

At a reception held in honour of his late wife, André, an elderly man whose memory is failing, tries to reconnect with his past and those around him.

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SH 1

Block 1

Block films

Auntie Lica The Hunchback

Auntie Lica The Hunchback

Paul-Razvan Macovei

Romania
January 1, 2025
15’

Eva flies back from France expecting a simple funeral. What she gets is a hunchbacked grandma, a furious village priest, and a coffin that just won’t fit.

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Diego

Diego

Mélissa Silveira

France
January 1, 2025
25'

Vanessa, 21, lives with her brother Diego, 20, who has a disability, and their father Antonio, a strong-willed Gypsy man. The happy, well-oiled routine of this trio is disrupted by Diego’s sexual awakening. While Antonio is proud to introduce his son to a virile form of masculinity, Vanessa realizes that her brother prefers men.

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The Cut

The Cut

Julia Staniszewska

Poland
January 1, 2025
14’

Piotr is 24 years old and has just met the woman of his life. As usual, he comes to tell his mother about it. At first, he does not notice that the roles are just turning and now she will need him.

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The Man Without Qualities

The Man Without Qualities

Sofia Romano

Belgium
January 1, 2026
22'

After yet another failed review interview at the Ministry of Labor and Productivity, the visual artist Ultimo, sinks into an existential crisis. When he is ultimately declared a “ marginal worker, ” he embarks on a radical metamorphosis.

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Thunder

Thunder

Mauricio Carrasco Tolosa

France
January 1, 2026
24'

La Foudre, a social media vigilante, becomes famous through his punitive raids livestreamed on the internet. But spectacle justice doesn't come without risks...

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SH 2

Block 2

Block films

Gallina

Gallina

Fernando Reinaldos

Spain
January 1, 2025
16’

In rural Spain, ten-year-old Pablo loves spending time at his granny’s countryside home, playing with his younger sister Alba and his best friend Martín. But everything changes when Martín pressures him to betray his family, leaving Pablo to question where he truly belongs.

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Procedure

Procedure

Rabia Özmen

Türkiye
January 1, 2025
18'

Murat, who has just been imprisoned, asks for a request to his wife Sema, which is against the procedures. Sema cannot stand her husband’s pressure and tries to get Murat’s request into the prison by illegal means. But the prison has excessive precautions.

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Sand

Sand

Shahaf Sinai, Eyal Roe

Israel, Ukraine, USA
January 1, 2026
20’

Elisha wakes to a crumbling reality. The wind never stops blowing, the sand keeps accumulating, burying everything. Medea arrives, his long-lost love, elegant and alive, trying to reach through.

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Silence

Silence

Pavlo Shpegun

Ukraine
January 1, 2026
15’

After a failed performance, Luka, a young stand-up comedian, meets a mysterious girl in a bar. They quickly find common ground, and she spends the night at his place. They talk about their loneliness, pain, and personal losses, all while trying to maintain an emotional distance from one another. But when all the necessary words finally run out – silence falls.

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The Buzz

The Buzz

Kate Del Castillo

Mexico
January 1, 2026
13'

During a live national television interview, Veronica, a celebrated and admired actress, struggles to uphold the image of a perfect life while her inner world fractures under the weight of private abuse. Trapped between silence, fear, and a sudden panic attack, she must decide whether to continue performing the illusion—or break the cycle in front of everyone.

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Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

Anton Iffland Stettner

Belgium
January 1, 2026
20’

Agathe, married with two children, receives a text message for Valentine's Day inviting her to a hotel room.

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SH 3

Block 3

Block films

Aasmani

Aasmani

Sayani Gupta

India
January 1, 2026
30’

In Hindi, Aasmani means that shade of light blue which is the colour of the sky. To Smita, a spunky woman in her sixties, her steadfast companion of over five decades, a powder blue vintage FIAT called Aasmani is the very sky that shaped her life. But now she struggles with the choice of selling her beloved vintage car, Aasmani, when her 10 year old granddaughter, Tiya, steps up to save the day.

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Another Day In The Metal Box

Another Day In The Metal Box

Gleb Feldman

Ukraine
January 1, 2026
19'

When a Ukrainian factory worker finds a mysterious object hidden in an abandoned workshop, he must choose between the safety of the life he knows and the dream he has never dared to pursue.

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Breadsong

Breadsong

Katariina Aule

Estonia
January 1, 2025
16'

19th century rural family discover a catchy song that is broadcasted from the future through the family children after they are accidentally fed some mouldy bread. It is a story about greed, and how gold fever can make a man blind to true treasures in life, eventually breaking a family.

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Conception Game

Conception Game

Natalie Arle-Toyne

UK
January 1, 2025
8’

When single Missy (39), fresh from heartbreak and desperate to conceive, discovers a world of free sperm, she dives right in. But semen with no strings attached is scuppered when newbie Patrick (40) unwittingly breaks the rules of the game.

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Mourners

Mourners

Rebeca Arnal

Spain
January 1, 2025
7'

A group of women wearing traditional mourning clothes arrives at a mansion to take part in a funeral ritual.

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Welcome to Tool Shed

Welcome to Tool Shed

Andrew Klaus-Vineyard, Daniel Talbott

USA
January 1, 2026
22'

The film examines the generation who never expected to become senior citizens in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and decades of oppression, who now find themselves trailblazers again as the first openly LGBTQ seniors.

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UA 1

Block 1

Block films

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UA 2

Block 2

Block films

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UA 3

Block 3

Block films

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UA 4

Block 4

Block films

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After School

After School

Merijn Scholte Albers, Tobias Smeets

Netherlands
2025
101’

Fortysomething high school teacher Edwin is a cringy control freak, who faces rejection from family and colleagues. After his boss denies him a promotion due to his weak personality, he seeks help from a crude gym teacher whose advice leads to chaos.

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Ben'Imana

Ben'Imana

Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo

Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway
2026
101'

Vénéranda works in community justice and reconciliation after genocide. A family crisis tests her beliefs. The film follows women rebuilding lives amid shared trauma, showing how the past shapes their present.

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Caity

Caity

Lindsay Calleran

USA
2026
101’

16 year-old Caity and her newly sober father, Paul, co-operate their family business: a locally-beloved haunted house. When Paul relapses, Caity tries to cover for him but struggles to manage as she tests the limits of her own relationship to substances and falls for a new employee, Hannah.

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Camouflage

Camouflage

Mykyta Gibalenko

Germany, Ukraine
2026
102’

22-year-old Vitalik dreams of starting a new life in Germany, leaving his mother Tetiana and sister Zhenya behind in Ukraine. When Russia launches its full-scale invasion, everything changes: Vitalik’s family is forced to flee and join him in Germany. Along with them come old conflicts and unresolved emotions—things no distance from the war can ever erase.

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Filipiñana

Filipiñana

Rafael Manuel

Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France
2026
100'

While working at an elite country club outside Manila, a 17-year-old Ilocana worker uncovers the violent truths of her workplace, her country, and her own past after attempting to return a lost golf club to the club’s president.

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Flesh & Fuel

Flesh & Fuel

Pierre le Gall

France, Poland
2026
90’

A lonely French trucker's routine life on the road takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a Polish driver. As feelings develop, he struggles to balance his demanding job with a chance at love, determined to make their connection work.

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Lemonade

Lemonade

Kim Bartley

UK, Ireland
2026
111’

Teenage Danny makes a life-altering mistake, then reunites with Josh, a social worker whose past errors once separated them. Josh mentors Danny through first love and loss, teaching him that true family are those who believe in you.

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Our Father

Our Father

Goran Stankovic

Serbia, Italy, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2025
89’

Dejan, a drug addict, is undergoing rehabilitation at a monastery. Gradually, he becomes the right-hand man of the priest who runs the commune. When the priest takes his methods too far, Dejan has to choose between protecting the system and the truth.

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Trial of Hein

Trial of Hein

Kai Stänicke

Germany, Switzerland
2026
122’

After 14 years, Hein returns to his island village, but the community doesn't recognize him and demands a trial to prove his identity.

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Where To

Where To

Assaf Machnes

Israel, Germany
2026
95’

A Palestinian Uber driver and a lost young Israeli cross paths during multiple taxi rides through Berlin, leading to unexpected moments that blend humor and heartache as their journeys unfold.

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