Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia University

In its continuing rubric Unknown Ukrainian Silent Cinema, the Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia will screen

In Spring, 1929
director Mikhail Kaufman

This outstanding example of the Ukrainian silent cinema avant-garde captures the spirit and poetry of Kyiv in late 1920s. Kaufman’s response to his brother’s (Dzyga Vertov) celebrated Man with a Movie Camera, this rarely seen document of the epoch was shot in the middle of Soviet Union’s transition from revolutionary enthusiasm to Stalinist totalitarianism.
When: Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 6:30 PM
Where: Harriman Institute, Atrium
With English subtitles

Yuri Shevchuk will introduce the film and mediate the discussion

To register click here: https://harriman.columbia.edu/event/film-screening-discussion-in-spring/

Here is a link to the discussion of Two Thousand Meters to Andriivka, the documentary by Mstyslav Chernov, shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards. It is well-worth watching. Mstyslav is not only a brilliant and fearless filmmaker and reporter but a deep and spellbinding thinker. His is one of the most powerful Ukrainian voices today.
The event took place on November 12, 2025. It was co-organized by the Columbia University School of Journalism, PBS's Frontline, and the Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia University.

Before the screening and discussion of the film Columbia students of the Ukrainian Studies met Mstyslav in person.

2000 Meters to Andriivka: Screening and Discussion A film by Oscar-winning director and Pulitzer prize-winning Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav ChernovNovember 12, 2025, Columbia Journalism School, Pulitzer Hall...

The Ukrainian Film Club @ Columbia University will hold the screening
and discussion of the feature documentary

Divia, 2025, Director Dmytro Hreshko, Ukraine

With the beginning of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, the state of ecology in Ukraine has deteriorated catastrophically. There are thousands of kilometers of burned and mutilated land and forests, poisoned rivers, mined fields and animals that are on the verge of extinction. The title of the film, "Divіa", comes from the Slavic goddess of nature, who represents the mother of all living things. Its main characters are the nature of Ukraine and the war which brings destruction and death. Beautifully filmed this non-verbal feature documentary brings into sharp focus the ecological catastrophe in Ukraine that is already spilling over to other countries.

Polina Herman, the producer of the film, will be at the screening
to discuss the film with the audience.

When: Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 6:30 PM
Where: Harriman Institute Atrium

Yuri Shevchuk will introduce the producer
and the film and mediate the post-screening discussion

For details and to register for the event follow this link:
https://harriman.columbia.edu/event/film-screening-discussion-divia/

Come meet the filmmakers in person!!!
The Ukrainian Film Club @ Columbia University will hold the screening
and discussion of the feature documentary
Viktor, 2024

director Olivier Sarbil, France, USA, Ukraine


Viktor, a young deaf man in the City of Kharkiv, watches warily the enemy’s onslaught on his hometown in the early days of the full-scale murderous Russian invasion of Ukraine. A fan of samurai films, raised on stories of war, he dreams of becoming a warrior but is repeatedly turned away when he tries to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Eager to give his life a purpose, Viktor embarks on a quest to find his place in the midst of a war he cannot hear. The film premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2024 and was featured in the prestigious Platform Prize program.
This richly atmospheric black-and-white documentary is a true piece of art and a novel way of storytelling that erases the line of separation between the protagonist and the viewer.

Olivier Sarbil and the story’s protagonist Viktor Korotovsky will be in attendance to discuss the film with viewers.

When: Thursday, October 9, 2025, 6:30 PM
Where: Harriman Institute Atrium

In Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles

Yuri Shevchuk will introduce director Olivier Sarbil and film’s protagonist Viktor Korotovsky and mediate the post-screening discussion

For details and to register for the event access use this link:
https://harriman.columbia.edu/event/film-screening-discussion-viktor/

https://youtu.be/9WxQ5q7oR4w

VIKTOR (2025) Trailer At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Viktor, a young Deaf man raised on samurai films, hopes to join the military effort. Repeatedly denied, he f...

The Ukrainian Film Club @ Columbia is thrilled to announce that it will open its 21st season (2025-2026) with the screening and discussion of the historical drama

The Oxygen Station, 2023

director Ivan Tymchenko, producer Svitlana Solovieva


1980, USSR. The Crimean Tatar human rights activist and political prisoner Mustafa Jemilev is exiled to the settlement Zyryanka in Siberia. There he is compelled to work at an oxygen station. Three people are headed toward him across the huge Soviet empire with vastly different goals - to meet, to destroy, and to protect. They are driven by love, hatred, and faith.

When: Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 6:30 PM
Where: Harriman Institute Atrium
In Ukrainian with English subtitles

Yuri Shevchuk will introduce the film and mediate the post-screening discussion

https://harriman.columbia.edu/event/film-screening-discussion-the-oxygen-station/

We would like to reach out to the Crimean Tatar community of the Greater New York Area with an invitation to attend this important event.

https://vimeo.com/916791112/d3f07b4f27?ts=0&share=copy

The Ukrainian Film Club @ Columbia will hold
the screening and discussion with the filmmakers of the feature documentary

A Rising Fury, 2022,
USA, Ukraine, Norway

Directed by Lesya Kalynska and Ruslan Batytsky


A RISING FURY follows two hopeful Ukrainian idealists from the initially peaceful protest in Kyiv in 2013 to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Pavlo and Svitlana met and fell in love during the Maidan Revolution and were filmed nearly 10 years with several expeditions to the frontlines of the war. When Russia invaded Crimea and Donbas in 2014, Pavlo lost his family home and joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. To defend his nation, he engages in deadly firefights against former friends and a close military instructor who joined the Russian forces. As Svitlana transports food and medical supplies, both find themselves on the battle lines, protecting their land, democracy, and their relationship. It’s a story of love, revolution, betrayal, and war told mostly through intimate verité material. The film reveals that Russia’s war against Ukraine was prepared by Russia as far back as 2007 and began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Donbas.

Come and meet the filmmakers in person!

When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 6:30 PM
Where: Harriman Institute Atrium
In Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles

Yuri Shevchuk will introduce the film director Lesya Kalynska and Producer TJ Collins
and mediate the post-screening discussion

You need to register for the event by this link:

[email protected]&recurrenceId==" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.columbia.edu/cal/event/eventView.do?calPath=%2Fpublic%2Fcals%2FMainCal&guid=[email protected]&recurrenceId==

PREMIERE, FESTIVALS, ACCOLATES

A Rising Fury premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and earned multiple accolades, including the Supreme Jury Award and Best International Director Award at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. The film has been showcased at major international festivals across four continents and garnered nominations for the Bronze Horse Award at the Stockholm International Film Festival, Best Documentary at the Warsaw International Film Festival, and the Golden Duke Award at the Odesa International Film Festival, among others. Described by Film Threat Magazine as "one of the best films of the year" and rated 10/10 by film critic Bobby LePire, A Rising Fury has received widespread critical acclaim. It was long-listed for the 96th Academy Awards and showcased globally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkVwcyyyneQ

https://www.facebook.com/arisingfury

Lesya Kalynska is an award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, she earned an MFA in Film Directing and Writing from New York University and holds a Ph.D. in Slavic Literatures and Languages from the Mykhailo Drahomanov National Pedagogical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. The topic of her thesis manuscript was Yuri Andruhovych’s Prose as a Phenomenon of Postmodernism. Kalynska has a range of publications, film and TV series releases, screenplays, scholarly works on postmodernism in literature, and journalistic articles. She founded her production company, Pomegranate Studios, in NYC and divides her time between the USA and Ukraine. A Rising Fury is her most recent work. Kalynska’s next documentary, currently in progress with the working title Before the Dawn, explores the preservation of culture and democracy in Ukraine, focusing on brave Ukrainians fighting for their lives and freedom. The research for this project examines how the war has prompted individuals to reject their Soviet past, rediscover their cultural roots, reclaim their heritage, and build a vision for the future.

Mr. Collins is an award-winning filmmaker with over a dozen produced films, including both short and feature-length narratives. His debut feature, Willets Point, won the Audience Award at the Long Island International Film Expo and received a theatrical release with positive reviews from The New York Times. A respected industry professional, Mr. Collins has served as a peer judge for the New York Emmy Awards and is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, New York Chapter. He was selected as a Fellow for the 2009 NALIP Producers Academy and Screenwriters Lab. His screenplay The Driven (Eli Moran) was chosen for the NALIP Screenwriters Lab, supported by The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal, FOX, and HBO. Mr. Collins wrote, directed, and produced The Driven, starring David Zayas (Dexter, The Expendables), which premiered at the 25th Dances With Films Festival – NYC edition in 2022. Since 2016, Mr. Collins has worked as a producer and co-Writer on A Rising Fury.

Please join the Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia University for a screening and discussion of
Roman Bondarchuk‘s 2024 film “The Editorial Office” (“Редакцiя”).

When: February 26, 2025, 6:30 PM
Where: Atrium of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University

The film will be introduced by Yuri Shevchuk, who will lead the post-screening Q&A session.
In the wild steppes of southern Ukraine, a young nature researcher named Yura is looking for an endangered species of groundhog but instead witnesses a crime. Eager to expose the truth, Yura takes his photo evidence to the local newspaper’s editorial office. However, he quickly realized that nobody there cares about pursuing justice. While a big war is looming over the horizon, Yura’s native worldview is splintering in a storm of fake news, rigged political elections, and mysterious cult rituals. On his quest, the hero is about to find out who is really is—an endangered species of a good man or just a loser?
“The Editorial Office” is the second feature film from southern Ukraine by acclaimed director Roman Bondarchuk, known for his debut feature “Volcano” (2018) and the documentaries “Euromaidan. Rough Cut” (2014), “Ukrainian Sherrils” (2015), and “Dixie Land” (2016). “For me, cinema is a way of exploring the world. I’ve always been fascinated by and drawn to the south of Ukraine, which is not so well-described in literature of film; it’s a sort of no man’s land between Crimea and mainland Ukraine…”
Use this link to register for the event:
https://harriman.columbia.edu/.../film-screening.../
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtPrLcSKnuA&t=2s

My interview on Ukrainian cinema then and now for the "London Telegraph" podcast "Ukraine: the Latest!"

The interview starts at around 32nd minute into the podcast.

Tank crew wipes out Russian column & Putin rejects peace talks | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast Day 1,071.Today, following the news a Ukrainian drone attack hit yet another oil depot last night, and as Trump threatens to lower the price of oil and stall...

Join the Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia University, celebrating its 20th anniversary, for screening and discussion Arkadiy Nepytaliuk's sparkling comedy LESSONS OF TOLERANCE

Film Screening & Discussion. Lessons of Tolerance | The Harriman Institute Film Screening & Discussion. Lessons of Tolerance Harriman Institute Atrium 12th floor International Affairs Building, 420 W 118th St New York, NY 10027 United States + Google Map

The Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia University will open its 20th season with а new documentary series “Culture vs War.” It is a collection of six feature documentaries united by the one and the same theme: how Ukrainian culture was transformed into a weapon to resist the brutal Russian aggression.
The first film the Antytila is a breathtaking story of the Ukrainian eponymous rock band with international recognition. The outbreak of the full-scale Russian aggression on February 24, 2022 made millions of Ukrainians reassess their life priorities and turned into warriors many of those who were in peaceful professions. All the members of the Antytila (Antibodies), set aside their musical instruments and volunteered to the front lines to repel the enemy whose brutality and savagery took the world by surprise. The Antytila are now fighting the invasion doing what they do best–singing.

When: September 11, 2024, 6:30 PM
Where: The Harriman Institute Atrium, 12th Floor, International Affairs Building

For details of this event hit this link:
https://harriman.columbia.edu/event/film-screening-discussion-antytila/
Those who do not have a Columbia University ID need to register at the link above.

Film Screening & Discussion. Antytila | The Harriman Institute Film Screening & Discussion. Antytila Harriman Institute Atrium 12th floor International Affairs Building, 420 W 118th St New York, NY 10027 United States + Google Map

Моя стаття про деякі виклики, що стоять перед українським кіном нині.

Кіно і війна. Чи стала кіноіндустрія в Україні українською за духом? ОМКФ виявляється, вкотре, неспроможним дерусифікуватися і деколонізуватися в глибшому сенсі слова і обняти довготривалу програму розвитку і поширення українсько...