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The 17th Odesa International Film Festival (27 August – 4 September, Kyiv) presents its Gala Premieres programme – a selection of films that OIFF audiences will have the opportunity to see first on the big screen.
The programme brings together films that explore historical memory, the experience of war, the strength of human relationships, and the desire to shape a better future from different perspectives. From family tragicomedy and historical drama to documentaries about women's experiences of war, photography, and people who consciously choose to build Ukraine, each film offers a unique perspective on the present day.
Fiction Films
It’s a Good Thing Mom Doesn'ot Know, 2025, Ukraine, dir. Sasha Lytvynenko
The lives of four members of the same family unexpectedly become intertwined through one man — an influential mafia boss. A DJ falls into debt, his sister is taken hostage by an armed stranger, while their younger brother seeks revenge for the death of his beloved. Unaware of each other's struggles, the family members gradually move toward a shared resolution.
The EGGsplosive Easter 2.0. Quantum Paradox, 2025, Ukraine, dir. Taras Dudar
After learning that his son is not serving on the front line but recovering in a military hospital, Ivan Zabiiaka sets off across the country in an old van together with his homemade Quantum Paradox Machine, hoping to change the past and prevent the war. Other members of the family also travel to see Yaryk, each carrying their own fears, grief, and unfinished stories. The journey becomes an opportunity for the family to find one another again.
The Adventures of Cossack Vyhovsky, 2025, Ukraine, dir. Semen Horov
Vyhovskyi, a special agent and trusted confidant of the King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, is secretly a double agent working for the Zaporizhian Host. However, his bohemian life in Warsaw distracts him, and he stops sending intelligence reports. As punishment for neglecting his duties, the Otaman sends Vyhovskyi to build a frontier outpost in the village of Obmachiv. There, Ivan must assemble a military unit capable of defending the region against a potential Muscovite invasion.
Gorky Resort, 2026, Poland / Ireland / Ukraine, dir. Łukasz Palkowski
Following the Soviet occupation of eastern Poland, Polish army officer and pianist Grabowski is imprisoned in the Kozelsk prisoner-of-war camp. There, he enters into a psychological confrontation with an NKVD major determined to recruit him as a collaborator. Encouraged by an unexpected reunion with his wife, Grabowski refuses to betray his principles. In the spring of 1940, he and thousands of other prisoners are transported to Katyn.
Documentary Films
Land of dreams? Land of Deeds!, 2025, Ukraine, dir. Volodymyr Mula
Four stories of Ukrainians who, despite opportunities abroad, chose to return home to pursue their ideas and contribute to the country's development. Through personal journeys, the film explores responsibility, the power of choice, and the people shaping Ukraine's future.
She, 2026, Ukraine, dir. Tetiana Stanieva
Three Ukrainian women experience the war through the daily wait for news from the front, volunteer work, and caring for their loved ones. At the same time, viewers witness the everyday lives of their husbands serving in the 88th Battalion. This is a story of love, resilience, and the inner strength that helps people endure.
Photos from the War, 2026, Ukraine, dir. Ivanka-Kateryna Yakovyna
Six photographs taken by Ukrainian and international photojournalists during the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion became defining images of the war around the world. Through the stories of the photographers and the people captured in their frames, the film explores the power of documentary photography as testimony, memory, and a tool in the fight for truth.
Distance to Independence, 2026, Ukraine / Canada, dir. Daria Sarycheva
On 24 August 1991, Ukraine declared its independence. But no one recognised it. The United States opposed it. Russia threatened retaliation. Seventy per cent of Ukrainians had recently voted to preserve the Soviet Union. Soviet troops remained stationed in Kyiv. And only 99 days stood between independence and the possibility that it would end before it had truly begun.
This film tells the story of those who prevented that from happening—and why their struggle is our struggle today.
Festival passes for the 17th Odesa International Film Festival are available via the link: https://new.oiff.com.ua/en/choose-your-pass-2026