Oksana Cherkashyna

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

Four short stories are set along the roads of Donbass during the war. There are no safe spaces and no one can make sense of just what is going on. Even as they are trapped in the chaos, some manage to wield authority over others. But in this world, where tomorrow may never come, not everyone is defenseless and miserable. Even the most innocent victims may have their turn at taking charge.

Four short stories are set along the roads of Donbass during the war. There are no safe spaces and no one can make sense of just what is going on. Even as they are trapped in the chaos, some manage to wield authority over others. But in this world, where tomorrow may never come, not everyone is defenseless and miserable. Even the most innocent victims may have their turn at taking charge.

In Lemberg (Lviv) in 1897, Amelia Kryzhevska-Zeg returns to the family estate where she grew up after her honeymoon. She is full of hope for the future and dreams of opening her own pharmacy. But gradually, her childhood home turns into a treacherous trap, and Amelia's plans become unfulfillable desires.

The story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Russia and Ukraine during the start of the war. Irka refuses to leave her house even as the village gets captured by armed forces. Shortly after they find themselves at the center of an international air crash catastrophe on July 17, 2014.

Five young Ukrainians discuss life following the Maidan Revolution of 2014. Not all fought in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but it, regardless, shattered their life plans. Representing 'Generation Maidan', they face the question of how to cope with experiences of violence, how to go on. A local theatre director produces Hamlet, wherein they can use Shakespeare’s tragic character as a mirror and face their traumas onstage. For them, 'to be or not to be' is not simply text but an existential dilemma with no clear answer.

A mother and daughter are going through hard times in a refugee camp. The father has disappeared while fighting for Ukraine’s freedom, leaving them among other women with similar fates. Fear, uncertainty, and crushing loneliness are emotions almost all of them know well. Yet even growing closer to one another carries risks – not all of which they are aware.

When the war in Ukraine breaks out, five women representing various generations and attitudes engage in a desperate fight to save themselves and their loved ones. Thrown together by life, they are protagonists in an uplifting story about life, courage, sacrifice and the power of human spirit.

A mass grave was discovered in the small town in eastern Ukraine as consequence of the 2022 Russian invasion. Olena (34) arrives with her daughter Kira (8) and boyfriend Tymur (31) to collect the DNA test result of her missing husband Ilya. During two days, Olena will not only find out if her husband is alive, but in addition to confronting the past, she also will be faced with the most important one - the present.

A lonely dad, facing the sudden death of a Ukrainian babysitter, takes his daughter and her friend on a journey by the truck. Will trucker and two scamp girls handle the transport of frozen fish, body smuggling and life without a home?

Based on diaries and photographs found in the houses destroyed during the Russian war against Ukraine, the film captures the stories of Mariupol, including that of the director’s family. It centers on the value of freedom and human life itself over the nonsensical statements repeated by totalitarian regimes, as witnessed throughout the history of the Azovstal plant.