Don't be a square!
Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin 2024
out of competition - short film program* FROM THE PAST by Hanna Palamarchuk I 1'
© uffb
* NUANCE by Marharyta Voronova & Oleh Kibalnyk | 21’
* YA VZHE NE UYIDU NIKUDA (I WON’T GO ANYWHERE) by Heorhii Krasnobryzhev | 18’
* THREE BEASTS by Volodymyr Postunyi | 20’
* METALLIC TASTE by Ivan Krupenikov | 20’
* UZHHOROD TO THE SHELTER by Oleksandra Horiienko | 8’
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* From the past
Inspired by the smell of borscht, Hanna Palamarchuk’s film explores fleeting, nostalgic memories through hand-drawn animation, capturing moments like a mother’s song and the certainty of tomorrow.
* Nuance / Нюанс
A Japanese delegation visits Kyiv’s Cinema University to view student films, sparking a controversy over a brief nudity scene. Amidst the chaos of differing opinions, banquet preparations, and technical issues, shy mentor Aliona Yuriivna must defend her student’s work and confront her own understanding of heroism.
* Ya vzhe ne uyidu nikuda / Я вже не уїду нікуда
Depiction of life in the village of Horaiivka.
* Three Beasts
“Three Beasts” follows Dima’s internal struggle as he grapples with deadly sins, symbolized by animals from Dante’s Divine Comedy. His relationship with Katya and encounters with the Panther, She-wolf, and Lion reveal his inner demons and moral dilemmas.
* Metallic taste / Metaliczny posmak
A teenage boy leaves a cellar, he’s hiding in, in order to find water and supplies for his sick mother. Saving the person closest to him will mean facing his biggest fear, the very thing he’s hiding from.
* Uzhorod, to the shelter / Ужгород, в укриття!
Young strangers don't know how to speak to each other. They wait for the air raid every day to meet - in a shelter.
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For the first time, the festival will feature a short film competition. Two programs explore powerful human stories shaped by war, displacement, and loss, while also reflecting on identity and decolonial perspectives.
The jury, consisting of Mariette Rissenbeek, who has been the director of the Berlinale for many years, Robert Wunsch (D-Facto Motion), Roman Bodnarchuk (director of The Editorial Office), and Isabelle Stever (film director), will select the winner. The best film will be awarded with the “Post-Production Award” founded by D-Facto Motion.
Meanwhile, the out-of-competition program, "Don’t be a Square!" celebrates bold Ukrainian cinema, featuring everything from thrilling horror to surprising comedies and creative student films. Each program promises an emotional and unforgettable journey through the world of short films.