16th Odesa International Film Festival explores human experiences: memory, war, emigration and family crises through four thematic programs

16th Odesa International Film Festival explores human experiences: memory, war, emigration and family crises through four thematic programs

The 16th Odesa International Film Festival will present four thematic programs in which directors from different countries explore the complexities of human experience - from personal trauma to challenges, emigration and family crises.

In the spotlight there is a person with his choices, memory, fears and hopes. These are films that, through personal dramas, family relationships and painful losses, discuss topics close to everyone: love and death, the search for home and one's own roots.

The films combine different cinematic styles: from intimate psychological drama to multi-layered metaphorical stories unfolding over a century. But they all address the viewer directly, reminding us of the value of time, the inevitability of change, and how fragile human intimacy can be the strongest support in the face of challenges.

Focus on Poland:

The program is supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute “Instytut Adama Mickiewicza” and the Polish Institute in Kyiv.

“Sanatorium pod klepsydrą” (Sanatorium under the Hourglass) 1973, Poland, directed by Wojciech Jerzy Gas

Joseph’s surreal journey through a Jewish town becomes a search for his deceased father. The sanatorium, where time stops and at the same time revives the past, turns into a space of absurdity and ghostly encounters: from a boy with a stamp album to soldiers who punish for dreams, and a blind conductor - a symbol of death. This is a film in which the line between reality and dream is finally erased.

“Fear” (Lęk) 2023, Poland / Germany / Switzerland, directed by Sławomir Fabiński

Two sisters, Malgorzata and Lucie, set off on the most important journey together. Careerist Malgorzata, battling an incurable disease, wants to end her life on her own terms, while Lucia tries to convince her to live. This is a story about contradictions that can divide, but also about love that can restore a lost connection. The journey, full of laughter and tears, becomes both a search for intimacy and a final farewell.

“Imago” (Imago) 2023, Poland / Netherlands / Czech Republic, dir. Olga Cajdas

The end of the 1980s on the Polish coast. The old system is collapsing, the new one has not yet emerged. Ela, the youngest of nine children in the family, is looking for her way in the counterculture, dreams and freedom, but inevitably encounters reality. The film turns the story of growing up into a portrait of an entire generation that lived between two worlds.

“A Year in the Life of a Country” (Rok z życia kraju) 2024, Poland, dir. Tomasz Wolski

The events which happened in Poland in 1981 unfold in the style of a “found footage” full of absurdity and living energy. The introduction of martial law, tanks in the streets, propaganda and repression against “Solidarity” create an atmosphere of total control. The film combines the tragedy of a historical moment with the farce of everyday life - lines for toilet paper and futile attempts by the authorities to break the people's spirit.

“The Property” (The Property) 2024, Israel / Poland, dir. Dana Modan

Two months after the death of her son, Regina sets off for Poland with her granddaughter Mika. The official purpose of the trip is to return family property confiscated during World War II. But behind this lies another, much more intimate reason: the search for her first love, with whom Regina was forced to part seven decades ago. The film explores the theme of memory, loss and attempts to come to terms with the past.

Silent Trees (Drzewa milczą) 2024, Poland / Germany / Denmark, dir. Agnieszka

Zwiefka

A 16-year-old Kurdish girl Runa is forced to grow up after her mother dies in a forest on the Polish-Belarusian border. She takes on responsibility for her four younger brothers and her depressed father. Life in a refugee camp, the fear of deportation, the desire to get an education and become a lawyer - all this is intertwined with her inner world, which comes to life in the drawings. Partly animated, the film turns a personal story of growing up into a metaphor for the global refugee crisis.

The Forest (Las) 2024, Poland / Czech Republic, dir. Lidia Duda

In the Białowieża Forest, a family has created their own paradise, far from the problems of the modern world. But with the arrival of refugees, this idyll is shattered. Helping those whom neither Poland nor Belarus wants to accept becomes a challenge that changes both adults and children. Small games turn into a reflection of a real crisis: knights and princesses disappear, and refugees and border guards take their place. The film exposes the influence of big politics on private lives.

“Assistant” (Człowiek do wszystkiego) 2025, Poland / Great Britain, dir. Wilhelm Sasnal, Anka Sasnal

Joseph Marty, a modest bookbinder, becomes an assistant to an inventor and gradually turns into a man ready to carry out any assignment. Drawn into the tension of a strange family, he tries to maintain his own dignity. This is a story about power, humility and personal boundaries that are so easily erased when you find yourself in a strange world.

Through Friendly Eyes:

"Temporary Shelter" (Temporary Shelter) 2024, Iceland, dir. Anastasia Bortuali

Amid the majestic glow of the northern skies and dramatic volcanic eruptions, a story unfolds about people seeking shelter in a world that has crumbled to pieces. "Temporary Shelter" is a metaphor for the fragility of our existence. The film reminds us that even in the darkest moments, the spirit is able not only to endure, but also to find the strength to be reborn.

"Viktor" (Viktor) 2024, Denmark / Ukraine / France / USA, dir. Olivier Sarbil

A boy from Kharkiv, Viktor, is deaf, but he hears the world in his own way. He dreams of becoming a warrior, defending his native land, but the army refuses him again and again. In the first days of the invasion, he sets out on his own search for meaning and a place in reality, where the sound of explosions remains an invisible silence for him.

The Longer You Bleed 2025, Germany / Ukraine / Great Britain, dir. Ewan Waddell

Berlin becomes a temporary home for displaced Ukrainians who watch the war every day through their smartphone screens. The director’s camera follows his partner and her friends as they try to adapt to their new lives, struggling with the paradox of distance trauma: physically far away, but emotionally inside the horrors. Absurd humor becomes their protective shield, and the film turns into a meditation on how digital space changes our perception of war and pain itself.

Family Values: Life

“Summer in December” (Verano en diciembre) 2024, Spain, dir. Carolina Africa

The film takes the audience to Teresa’s house, a space where her daughters and her elderly mother-in-law with dementia, who lives under her care, will gather. They all come together on the anniversary of their father’s death. The meeting will turn into an emotional confrontation: the sisters’ different personalities — caring, rebellious, wild, adventurous and aloof — will cause sharp conflicts. The main characters will be forced to face their own fears, disappointments and unspoken sadness.

“They Will Become Ashes” (Polvo serán) 2024, Spain / Switzerland / Italy, dir. Carlos Márquez-Marcet

After being diagnosed with an incurable disease, Claudia decides to make her last trip to Switzerland. Her constant companion Flavio, with whom they have spent more than forty years of their lives, decides to follow her on this path to the end. This is a tender and profound story about love, devotion and dignity.

"After Party" (After Party) 2024, Czech Republic, dir. Vojtech Strakaty

The carefree life of 23-year-old Indrishka is destroyed in one day. When collectors come to the house because of her father's debts, the girl finds herself faced with a difficult choice: to help her father or to save herself. The film explores the theme of growing up in conditions where hopes collide with cruel reality.

"Tell Her I Love Her" (Dites-lui que je l'aime) 2025, France, dir. Roman Boringer

The novel is based on Clementine Autain's book about her mother to create a film story that becomes a painful journey into her own past for the author. The film adaptation forces her to face the greatest trauma of her childhood - the disappearance of her mother, who abandoned her when she was only nine months old.

"8", 2025, Spain, dir. Julio Medem

The film consists of eight episodes, shot in the form of eight continuous shots, covering 90 years of the lives of Octavio and Adele. Their fate is inextricably linked by the number 8, which becomes a symbol of the story of two people against the backdrop of key events in the recent history of Spain.

Family Values: Children

“Lioness” (Emalõvi) 2024, Estonia / Germany / Latvia, dir. Liina Triškina-Vangatalo

The disappearance of 15-year-old Stefi destroys the life of her mother Helena. In despair, she is ready to cross the line of reason, because madness may be the only way to restore love and reconciliation.

“About Luis” (Es geht um Luis) 2024, Germany, dir. Lucia K’järla

Constanza and Jens try to maintain love and harmony, but their relationship collapses when their son Luis begins to be bullied at school. The parents are faced with a dilemma: to obey the rules of society or to fight for the child’s right to protection. At the same time, Luis, left alone with his pain, begins to fall into a dangerous spiral of uncertainty.

“No Instructions” (Sin instrucciones) 2024, Spain, dir. Marina Sereseski

Leo is a carefree ladies’ man whose life revolves around pleasures and light romances in the Canary Islands. But one day, an unexpected visit changes everything: his ex-lover leaves him their little daughter and disappears. At first, Leo tries to return the child to his mother, but unsuccessful attempts force him to learn responsibility and parenthood. Years of happiness and love are unexpectedly interrupted by the return of the mother, who wants to take her daughter back.

“My Inseparable” (Mon inséparable) 2024, France, dir. Anne-Sophie Bayli

Mona lives with her adult son Joel, who has a disability and works in a specialized institution. Joel is in love with his colleague Ocean, which his mother does not even suspect. When it becomes known that Ocean is pregnant, the close and almost inseparable relationship between mother and son begins to crumble.

“After the Summer / The Stepmother's Bond” (Tras el verano) 2025, Spain, dir. Yolanda Centeno

Paula, Raul and Dani are a family. But every day Paula is reminded of reality: Dani is not her own son. She is forced to overcome challenges to find her place in the newly created family. The marital crisis becomes a turning point - there is a risk that Paula will lose touch with the boy forever.

“Lykke post partum” (Lykke post partum) 2025, Sweden, dir. Alexe Landgren, Karen Helen Haugard

Life on a farm in Sweden should have been full of joy: Lykke and Christian become parents for the second time. But Lykke's postpartum depression plunges the family into darkness. Christian tries to save the situation, but in the end he can't stand it and leaves, leaving his wife alone to fight for the children and her own balance. Lucca has to go from despair to hope to regain her strength and rebuild her family.

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

Official Sponsor – ARARAT

Official Automotive Partner – BMW Ukraine

General Partner of Film Industry Office – UPHub

Official jewelry partner - Carrera Y Carrera General Technological Partner -Hisense

Official partner bank – Pivdenny

Official beauty partner - L'Oréal Paris Partner Film Industry Office - Cinema Sound UA Production