U-Kino Film Festival: July-August 2024 – Arts & Film celebrating communities and heritage in time of war
U-Kino is a festival of Ukrainian cinema, with an aim to raise visibility of Ukrainian film and culture more broadly. The intention is to explore possibilities of ‘disagreeing well’, sophisticated spaces to explore conflict and the role of creative practice
U-Kino is a festival of Ukrainian cinema, with an aim to raise visibility of Ukrainian film and culture more broadly. The intention is to explore possibilities of ‘disagreeing well’, sophisticated spaces to explore conflict and the role of creative practice. The festival took place in July and August 2024 The screenings take place in SODA cinema at the School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University.
The conversations with filmmakers and Ukrainians are creating an important space for discussion about the themes of the films and the wider need to keep alive cultures that are threatened by or experiencing war and conflict.
Speaking at the Victor Robot screening Ukrainian Theatre Director, Oleksandra Derevianko spoke about the ways there is growing fear that some of the creatives who were making interesting work that speaks to the distinct cultural identity of Ukrainian people is being wiped out daily, and having this festival helped to retain a sense of personal identity when living away from home.
Q&As have been recorded and are available through https://u-kino.cargo.site/talks or on links below
Festival Programme
| Tuesday 9 July Ukrainian Short Films The Land of Aliens. Director : Olya Chernykh, 19 mins. Kachalka. Director : Gar O’Rourke, 10 mins. Dear Vladimir. Director : Jeremiah Quinn, 7 mins. Heading Home. Director : Valeriia Lukianets, 24 mins. Post-screening discussion with Valeriia Lukianets, director of Heading Home. Moderator: Dr Sara Nesteruk, senior lecturer creative digital design, SODA The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuxoqSx9tnU |
| Tuesday 30 July Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes The story of Chernobyl told through a newly discovered hoard of dramatic footage filmed at the nuclear power plant during the disaster and newly-recorded, deeply personal interviews of those who were there, directed by Emmy Award-winner and Russian-speaker James Jones. https://www.jonesfilms.net/#/chernobyl-thelosttapes/ Post-screening discussion with director James Jones. Moderator: Dr Sara Nesteruk, senior lecturer creative digital design, SODA The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coNNu3QR_FE |
| Wednesday 31 July Victor Robot Followed by a Q&A with Oleksandra Derevianko, author and director of The Insomnia of Humpty Dumpty. The distant future. The artificial star, which is supposed to provide energy to the planets around it, is not working. The only one who can fix it, is Vika’s grandfather, who created this star. However, he mysteriously disappeared. The girl, together with her assistant – a tiny robot Viktor – decides to find him. And such begins the exciting adventures for these two unlikely friends. Post-screening discussion with Oleksandra Derevianko, author and director of The Insomnia of Humpty Dumpty and Joe Evans, Lecturer, Animation at SODA. Moderator: Dr Sara Nesteruk, senior lecturer creative digital design, SODA The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. https://youtu.be/FOa8-L_7CZ4?si=u81y7x8NhDaVm9-t |
| Tuesday 6 August Shorts on Architecture Five architecture and urbanism films directed by Roman Blazhan, 2018–2020. Orthodox Chic. 4 mins. Landscape Architecture: rethinking the future out of a totalitarian past. 5 mins. Beaches of Kyiv. 3 mins. Soviet Modernism. Brutalism. Post-modernism. 4 mins. Enter Through the Balcony. 26 mins. Post-screening discussion with Eddy Rhead from The Modernist and Maria Gabriella Ruban, Lecturer, Filmmaking at SODA. Moderator: Dr Sara Nesteruk, senior lecturer creative digital design, SODA The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. https://youtu.be/G6sqyd-Q6_k?si=l0kzudYLnyFZ7rpf |
| Wednesday 7 August Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors 1964. Director : Sergei Parajanov, 95mins. Includes a screening of On Volya: Filling in the Frescoes and an introduction by Ayla Dmyterko. Post-screening discussion with Larysa Bolton from Kazky. Moderator: Dr Sara Nesteruk, senior lecturer creative digital design, SODA The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. Introduction to Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Ayla Dmyterko https://youtu.be/QUvj5a3eddU?si=aHfowVu0v1N9KV-8 Film Q&A with Larysa Bolton from kazky. https://youtu.be/JN_GEn0q_Tg?si=Yr7p0ZHFkMpknDEF |
| Monday 12 August The Babushkas of Chernobyl Followed by Q&A – Link to follow |
U-KINO Festival Bookings
This event is supported by AHEAD – Arts & Humanities Engagement and Dialogue, Manchester Met’s Engagement Programme for making a positive impact through research
