In support of Ukraine, we invite you to come and discover the Ukrainian animation industry and its creators! For this year’s festival, we have selected the most interesting short animated films by Ukrainian creators and put together a competition programme, with the winner being selected by an international jury.
2024 / Ukraine / 1 min 26 s A tale of an incredible and unpredictable journey of human birth, depicting the bravery it takes to overcome loneliness and find connection. Directed by Anastasiia Martyniuk Screenwriter: Anastasiia Martyniuk Producer: Anastasiia Martyniuk
2023 / Ukraine / 7 min 26 s The animated short film "Mariupol. A Hundred Nights" tells the story of a little girl who wakes up from explosions and tries to survive in a burning city in the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To escape, she has to go through the destroyed streets, facing the unknown and trusting destiny. Later, as an elderly woman, that once-young girl will return to Mariupol and remember everything. Directed by Sofiia Melnyk Screenwriters: Andrii Palatnyi, Sofiia Melnyk Producer: Andrii Palatnyi Company: GogolFest
2023 / Ukraine, Belgium / 7 min 19 s Film is about a young woman in the search for her cultural identity is facing the pressures of oppressing neighboring countries' imperialist agendas. Sometimes it is difficult to stand free from the ties of others in order to identify your inner self and to grow. Will she be able to go through this difficult path of self exploration to gather all the pieces of her cultural background to free herself? Directed by Elina Pupina Screenwriter: Elina Pupina Producer: Luca School of Arts Company: Luca School of Arts
2023 / Ukraine, Germany / 4 min 0 s A person with ever-exploding head discovers an old newspaper on a train platform, which reveals stories entwined with the war against Ukraine. Despite its impact, people go about daily life, striving for normalcy amidst chaos. The movie uses pastel animation and stop-motion to depict the experience of resiliency. Directed by Sonia Leliukh Screenwriter: Sonia Leliukh Producer: Sonia Leliukh
2024 / Ukraine / 5 min 10 s For more than a month, the residents of Hostomel were held captive by the russian military. While scrounging for food, water and medicine, adapting to life in basements, neighbors and passersby became each other's backbone. In their memories of the occupation, places and objects come to life, losing their ordinary appearance. Directed by Danyil Pinko Screenwriter: Svitlana Datsenko Producer: Liudmyla Rybchenko Company: Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War
2023 / Ukraine / 6 min 14 s Morning in Ukraine. A russian missile hits an apartment building. Terrible destruction that leads to death. But Death decides to intervene in the situation, hesitating to take the life that was claimed by a russian missile. Directed by Vladyslav Kalenskyy Screenwriter: Vladyslav Kalenskyy Producer: Olga Mykhalets
2023 / Ukraine / 4 min 17 s The story about the unity in a face of war. Ukrainian people stand as a family, facing hard consequences of russian attacks. The theatre is destroyed by a missile, and family is reuniting to rebuild it. Directed by Sashko Danylenko Screenwriter: Sashko Danylenko Producer: Sashko Danylenko
2023 / Ukraine, Latvia / 4 min 6 s This story delves into the theme of sisterhood overcoming distance through shared sadness. Two women, physically apart but emotionally connected, express their melancholy through a traditional Ukrainian song. The animation, inspired by Ukrainian folk art, vividly portrays their struggles. As the ancient melody unfolds, it serves as a universal language, bridging the gap between the characters. Directed by Pauline Zapolska Screenwriter: Pauline Zapolska Producers: Daina Zalane, Juris Zalane
2024 / Ukraine / 4 min 20 s The nameless snale tries to dfine it self through the enviroment, while being at the same time hungry. Directed by Illiya Yanchytskyi Screenwriter: Illiya Yanchytskyi Producer: Illiya Yanchytskyi