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KSE and the Odesa International Film Festival to Hold Two Additional Open-Air Film Screenings
KSE Becomes the Educational Partner of the 17th Odesa International Film Festival
The Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) has become the educational partner of the 17th Odesa International Film Festival (OIFF), which will take place in Kyiv from 27 August to 4 September 2026.
As part of the partnership, KSE has joined the Festival's educational programme to explore cinema as a way of understanding society — examining how films engage with memory, reveal the impact of technology on people, and document Ukraine's experience during the war.
“At the KSE, education extends beyond classrooms and textbooks. It is a space where science, culture, technology, and society come into dialogue, and where critical thinking is shaped through different ways of understanding the world. That is why our partnership with the Odesa International Film Festival is a natural extension of the University's mission as a school of Ukrainian agency: to create an environment where new ideas emerge, contemporary challenges are reflected upon, and responsible leaders are formed,” said Tymofii Brik, Rector of KSE University.
As part of the Festival, the grounds of the future KSE University campus at the Golf Center on Obolon Embankment will host open-air screenings of the unique Ukrainian films. The future KSE campus is increasingly becoming an open urban space for education, research, culture, and public dialogue — a place where diverse communities come together and where knowledge extends beyond the classroom.
Through public discussions, conversations with filmmakers, and shared film screenings, OIFF and KSE aim to broaden the conversation around the issues shaping Ukraine's future: memory, freedom, technological change, responsibility, and the power of culture as a tool for understanding and advancing society.
The 17th Odesa International Film Festival will be held in Kyiv for the third consecutive year. It is a platform where Ukrainian cinema becomes part of the global cultural dialogue. This year's Festival slogan is "Freedom Is in Our DNA."As the Festival's educational partner, KSE will expand this conversation by bringing together cinema, technology, and society.
“Cultural events held during wartime help us make sense of Ukraine's experience, foster critical thinking, and make the Ukrainian experience understandable to the world. Today, the Odesa International Film Festival is more than a film festival — it is a space for collective reflection. We believe it is essential for cinema to extend beyond the screen and become a starting point for conversations about memory, freedom, Ukraine's resilience, our identity, and the future we envision for our country. Our partnership with KSE allows us to combine the power of cinema with an educational environment and create an open platform where culture serves as a tool for understanding both the world and our place within it,” said Anna Machukh, CEO of the Odesa International Film Festival.
Learn more about the OIFF programme: https://new.oiff.com.ua/
OIFF Festival Pass:https://new.oiff.com.ua/festivalpass
About
KSE University is a leading private university in Ukraine, founded in 1996. It is home to more than 1,700 students across five faculties and offers 21 academic programmes in economics, business, IT, engineering, law, public administration, psychology, data science, and artificial intelligence. KSE's current campus is located in the Dragon Capital building on Shpaka Street in Kyiv, while its new campus is being developed on Obolon Embankment.
KSE was among the first Ukrainian universities to resume in-person teaching in autumn 2022, using specially equipped bomb shelter classrooms. During the large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure between 2022 and 2026, the campus maintained uninterrupted operations and teaching through the use of backup generators, Starlink connectivity, and autonomous water and emergency supply systems.