From environmental challenges to the Odesa underground: special programs and premiere screenings of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival

From environmental challenges to the Odesa underground: special programs and premiere screenings of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival

This year, the 16th Odesa International Film Festival is preparing a special screening program for the audience, combining the most relevant topics, original artistic voices and international cinematic achievements.

Separate blocks build different thematic accents: the section “All creatures - great and small”, dedicated to Animal Protection Day, tells about rescue stories and environmental challenges, and the program “Odesa accent” - about the cultural heritage and artistic life of the city. The festival will also present the "Best of Europe" initiative, which will bring together European award-winning films, and the "Human Comedy" section, where important topics are explored through irony and satire. Together, these blocks form a holistic picture of what the world film process is experiencing and responding to today.

All Creatures, Big and Small

Checkpoint Zoo, 2024, UK, USA, dir. Joshua Zeman

The documentary film recreates the dramatic story of the rescue of thousands of animals who found themselves in a zoo behind enemy lines during the Russian invasion. Led by dedicated employees and volunteers, a risky special operation took place, which became a symbol of courage and humanity in wartime.

No Shade In The Forest, 2025, Ukraine, dir. Volodymyr Tykhy

The film tells the story of an eco-journalist’s journey through war-torn Ukraine. She records the scale of ecocide in national parks, meets scientists who continue their work even to the sounds of explosions, and begins to record the audio atmospheres of the destroyed territories.

Comparing them with pre-war archives, the heroine creates a unique study that adds a new, deep dimension to the documentation of war crimes.

Animals in War, 2025, Ukraine, dir. Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, Andriy Lidahovskyi, Maksym Tuzov, Oleksiy Mamedov, Svyatoslav Kostyuk, Yulia Shashkova, Ivan Sautkin

An almanac of stories where war is shown through the prism of animal life. Outstanding Ukrainian and international directors have created a story based on real events that demonstrate the suffering and strength of living beings in the darkest times. Animals have no political beliefs, do not pass the “humanity test”, but always unmistakably distinguish between good and evil. This multifaceted film forms a new view of life in modern Ukraine.

Odessa accent

I don’t want others to talk about me, 2024, dir. Dmitry Tomashpolsky

A documentary created from episodes of Kira Muratova's interviews from different years. The focus is on her thoughts about cinema and life, about herself and her creative path. The director's famous confession "My dream is to disappear, and only films will remain" became a kind of key to the idea: to preserve her voice and worldview without outside interpretations.

Domicile, 2024, dir. Sergey Rakhmanin

The film takes the viewer to the entrance of the house on Uspenskaya Street in Odesa, where Kira Muratova lived. Its walls are painted with drawings of cats, dogs and fantastic plants created by the director's husband - screenwriter and production designer Yevgeny Golubenko. Usually well-known in the artistic community, the artist worked for theater and cinema, but it was here that his works acquired a homely sincerity and warmth.

Gallery Norma, 2025, dir. Igor Gusev

The documentary film opens up the world of the Odesa underground in 2008–2011. The Norma Gallery exhibited artists who broke the usual ideas about art: absurd, provocative, but always with irony and humor. Through interviews and archival materials, the film recreates the atmosphere of freedom and experimentation that shaped the artistic environment of Odesa.

The Best of Europe

The first edition of the program launched by the Federation of European Film Academies (FACE). For the first time in history, this curatorial project will be presented in Ukraine in partnership with the Ukrainian Film Academy within the Odesa International Film Festival. The program will bring together winners of national film awards on one screen. FACE is an association of 23 European film academies, created to strengthen cultural dialogue on the continent. Kyiv was chosen for the premiere of the new initiative

The Village Next to Paradise, 2024, Austria, Germany, France, Somalia, dir. Mo Harawe

In a windswept Somali village, a newly formed family struggles to maintain a delicate balance between dreams, daily challenges, and the difficult world around them. Love, trust, and resilience become the pillars that help them navigate their own path through difficulties.

The film was awarded Best Film at the Austrian Film Awards (Austria).

Grand Tour, 2024, Portugal, Italy, France, dir. Miguel Gomes

In 1917 Rangoon, British official Edward runs away from his bride Molly on her wedding day. On the way, panic gives way to melancholy, and he begins to reflect on his own life. Meanwhile, Molly sets off in the footsteps of her lover, turning the escape into a grand journey, where reflections on love, freedom and human choices are intertwined.

The film received the main award at the Sophia Awards (Portugal).

Full of Love (Fuld af kærlighed), 2024, Denmark, dir. Christina Rosendahl

The story of a family destroyed by the alcohol addiction of a father who sincerely loves his loved ones, but does not know how to put them above the bottle. When he is sent for treatment, a deeper truth is revealed: the problems lie not only in the addiction, but also in unresolved conflicts and pains that extend from the past.

Awarded as the best film at the Robert Awards (Denmark).

The 47th (El 47), 2024, Spain, dir. Marcel Barrena

The film tells the story of Manolo Vital, a bus driver from the Torre Barro district, who decided to challenge the authorities of Barcelona. The city council declared that public transport could not serve the district because the streets were too narrow and dangerous. Manolo proves the opposite by getting behind the wheel of the EL 47 bus and paving the way to a place that was thought to be impossible to reach.

The film triumphed at the Gaudí Awards (Catalonia) and the Goya Awards (Spain).

Waves (Vlny), 2024, Czech Republic, Slovakia, dir. Jiri Madl

Young Tomasz unexpectedly finds himself among the legendary reporters of the Czechoslovak Radio, whose voices shaped the world's perception of the country's events. His step into the profession is also a step into danger: the editorial office is monitored by the Secret Service, and any mistake can cost not only his career, but also his life. At the center of the story is a moral choice between loyalty to the truth and duty to his family, which puts the hero in a dilemma that changes his fate.

The film won the Czech Lion Awards (Czech Republic) and the Sun in a Net Awards (Slovakia).

Human Comedy

Divine Medicine (Guðaveigar), 2024, Iceland, Spain, dir. Torkel Garðarsson, Ern Marino Arnarsson

The Icelandic Church finds itself in crisis: sacramental wine is disappearing at a rate that can only be explained by “popular demand.” The bishop sends four unsuspecting “holy sommeliers” on a journey to the vineyards of Spain to find a new divine elixir. They enthusiastically fulfill their mission, combining wine tasting with strange manifestations of faith, not even noticing the Second Coming of Christ in the background. A satire that mixes absurdity and spiritual quest.

Who is Who? (¿Quién es quién?), 2024, Spain, USA, France, dir. Martin Cuervo

A fantasy family comedy where the youngest daughter of the Fuentes family makes a wish on her ninth birthday - and the next morning everyone wakes up in someone else's body. The father becomes a mother, the daughter - a grandmother, and the teenage twins find themselves in each other's bodies. To put everything back in its place, the family must learn to put themselves in each other's shoes, literally and figuratively, overcoming funny and absurd situations.

The Man Who Saw the Bear Who Saw the Man (L'Homme qui a vu l'Ours qui a vu l'Homme), 2025, France, dir. Pierre Richard

The story of two men - Grégoire and Michel, who belong to different generations, but are united by friendship, love of nature and an unusual attachment to a bear that once escaped from the circus. This is a warm, philosophical journey about the relationship between humans and animals that changes the perception of the world.

The Odesa International Film Festival is supported by:

Ukrainian State Film Agency

The European Union and Creative Europe Desk Ukraine

Adam Mickiewicz Institute “Instytut Adama Mickiewicza”

Polish Institute in Kyiv

German Films

In partnership with the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine

Official sponsor – ARARAT

Official automotive partner – BMW Ukraine

General partner of the Film Industry Office – UPHub

Official jewelry partner – Carrera Y Carrera

General technology partner – Hisense