Witnessing Change: Ukrainian Cinema in a Time of Turmoil
“Boasting a formidable cinematic heritage that stretches back to the early days of film, the country has recently seen a renewed flowering of auteur cinema.” - Jonathan Romney, Sight and Sound
Ukrainian cinema had a very difficult start. For decades, it laboured under the strict guidelines of the Soviet cultural apparatus, which instrumentalized cinema as a vehicle of propaganda. During the 1960s, a period known as the Thaw (Перебудова), restrictions on artistic expression were loosened. Ukrainian filmmakers used their newfound freedom to develop a “poetic cinema” in which they explored more personal questions of Ukrainian identity. This period produced some of the nation’s most famous and, arguably, greatest films. After Ukraine regained independence in 1991, Ukrainian cinema struggled with endemic underfunding until its revival in the early 2000s when the government began allocating more money for art and culture. Today, under the duress of an uninvited war, Ukrainian cinema is again under material threat.
Witnessing Change provides an overview of the evolution of Ukrainian cinema from its earliest incarnations to recent works of note. The innovative techniques and perspectives found in the work of pioneering directors such as Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Dziga Vertov, Kira Muratova, Larisa Shepitko, Sergei Parajanov and Yurii Illienko helped define Ukrainian cinema, just as they impacted cinema globally. Emerging talents, such as Antonio Lukich, Nariman Aliev, and Roman Bondarchuk, continue these pathbreaking traditions.
Spanning nearly a century of cinema, the films in this series touch on issues that continue to shape Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora: technology, demographic generations, political change, and war. Through these works, viewers can glimpse the complex history of the Ukrainian peoples’ ongoing struggle for self-determination. Witnessing Change aims to shine a cinematic light on a region that continues to strive for recognition, autonomy, and the preservation of its cultural heritage.
This series originated at The Cinematheque in Vancouver and would not be possible without valuable guidance and support of its team.
Alina Senchenko
Series Curator
