Ukrainian Projects Showcased in Venice and Competitors for the Golden Lion
The 83rd Venice Film Festival, one of the world’s most esteemed film forums, will take place from September 2nd to 12th. The festival will open with Danny Boyle’s new film “Ink,” and conclude with Giovanni Veronesi’s non-competition feature “Dio ride.” This year’s international jury president will be American actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, while honorary Golden Lions for contributions to cinema will be awarded to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn.
This year, Ukraine will be represented by two films in parallel programs, along with an immersive installation. Concurrently, several projects by Russian directors have been included in the main competition and non-competition sections.
Here’s a look at the Ukrainian works to be shown in Venice and the films vying for the festival’s top prize.
Still from the film Ink
Ukrainian director Pavlo Shpegun will present the short film “Silence,” which has been selected for the Orizzonti Short Films program.
“Silence” is a psychological drama about a young stand-up comedian, Luka, who meets a mysterious girl at a bar after a failed performance. After spending the night together, the characters discuss loneliness, pain, and loss, while simultaneously attempting to maintain an emotional distance. When words run out, silence falls between them. The lead roles are played by Hryhoriy Naumov and Iolanta Bohdun. Inna Lastochkina and Pavlo Shpegun served as producers for the film.
Filming of the short film “Silence,” @barbados.dir
Another director of Ukrainian origin, Mykyta Hibalenko, will present the film “Camouflage” in the Giornate degli Autori program. The film will participate in the festival as a German project.
The program also includes two films produced by Alexander Rodnyansky: “Place to Be” by Kornél Mundruczó and “Road to Jericho” by Amos Gitai. Additionally, the non-competition program Venice Open will feature the documentary “Imperium” by director Sergei Loznitsa. Although Loznitsa is a Ukrainian director, his position has been a subject of debate in Ukraine for several years. In 2022, he was expelled from the Ukrainian Film Academy after stating his disagreement with the “cancellation of Russian culture” during the full-scale war.
Separately, in the Venice Immersive program, within the Best of Experiences section, the Ukrainian immersive installation “Memories” by artist Sofia Bulgakova will be shown. It will be accessible from September 2nd to 12th, 2026.
“Memories” is an auditory installation created from personal and collective testimonies that the artist has gathered over the recent years of the full-scale war. The work consists of insulation pipes through which visitors listen to individual sound fragments, gradually piecing together a non-linear narrative.
We have discussed the work in more detail in a separate article.
A total of 20 films have been selected for the main competition of the 83rd Venice Film Festival. Among them are:
Ink — Danny Boyle (opening film);
Company — Casey Affleck;
Kami Nour (A Bit of Light) — Ali Asgari;
Ritorno a Buenos Aires — Marco Bechi;
Un Bon Petit Soldat (A Good Little Soldier) — Stéphanie Brize;
Il Fuoco Che Ti Porti Dentro — Eduardo De Angelis;
Kvinde Ukendt (Woman Unknown) — May el-Toukh;
Bucking Fastard — Werner Herzog;
15/18 (A Place to Heal) — Cédric Kahn;
Dau — Ilya Khrzhanovsky;
Look Back — Hirokazu Kore-eda;
Ga-Neung-Han Sa-Rang (Possible Love) — Lee Chang-dong;
Wild Horse Nine — Martin McDonagh;
It Will Happen Tonight — Nanni Moretti;
Primetime — Lance Oppenheim;
The Echo Chamber — Andrea Pallaoro;
Un Peu Avant Minuit (A Bit Before Midnight) — Nicolas Pariser;
L`Estranea — Paolo Strippoli;
Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? — Shinya Tsukamoto;
Bunker — Florian Zeller.
Still from the film Bunker
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