Top 5 Ukrainian can’t-miss movies of 2023
2023 was a major year for Ukrainian films and NV has a list of the movies that you just can’t miss. From captivating historical and war dramas, Oscar-shortlisted documentaries, and Ukraine’s most successful animated film of all-time.
Ukrainian films took international film
festivals by storm, dominated Ukrainian cinemas, and set box office records.
Most of these films are available on
Netflix’s international streaming service and Ukrainian platforms like Megogo,
SweetTV, and Volia.
Here are the Top 5 must-see Ukrainian
movies of 2023, as compiled by NV.
20 Days in Mariupol
Documentary
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
20 Days in Mariupol stands out as one of
the most important films released in 2023. The film has been shortlisted for
the Best International Feature Film Oscar at the prestigious 2024 Academy
Awards.
The documentary premiered in January this
year at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It was
also awarded the Tim Hetherington Special Jury Mention at the Sheffield DocFest
International Documentary Festival in the UK.
Released in Ukrainian theaters in August,
it became the highest grossing documentary in Ukrainian history after just a
single week in the cinemas, according to DzygaMDB.
The unforgettable film is centered around
footage taken from Ukrainian journalists from the Associated Press: camera
operator Mstyslav Chernov, photographer Yevhen Maloletka, and producer Vasylisa
Stepanenko. They arrived in Mariupol just hours before the invasion and were
the only journalists with international accreditation that remained in the
city, surrounded by Russian military forces.
They captured Russia’s crimes on camera,
and these images quickly made it to the broadcasts and front pages of the global
media, narrating the truth about the city's tragedy: the deaths of children,
mass burials, the bombed maternity hospital, and other horrific Russian crimes.
A House Made of Splinters
Documentary
Director: Simon Lereng Wilmont
The documentary A House Made of Splinters has
achieved a significant milestone after becoming just the second Ukrainian film
to ever be nominated for an Oscar. The Denmark-Sweden-Finland-Ukraine
co-production was among the Top 5 documentaries released in 2022.
The film tells the moving story of a
children's home in now-occupied Lysychansk. At the time of filming, it was
located just 20 kilometers from the front line. The film focuses on children
deprived of parental care, who wait in the shelter to discover their fate:
either returning to their old homes or moving to new ones. Meanwhile, the
caretakers of the shelter provide these children with moments of joy and peace,
attempting to make up for their lost childhoods.
The film's world premiere took place at
the Sundance Film Festival's program in January 2022, where it received the
award for Best Director in the International Program. It was released in
Ukrainian cinemas in March 2023.
Mavka: The Forest Song
Animated
Directors: Olexandra Ruban, Oleg Malamuzh
Mavka: The Forest Song has become not only
Ukraine’s most successful animated movie, but also Ukraine’s most successful
film of all-time, both in domestic and international distribution. The film
made 155,979,529 UAH ($4.13 million USD) at the Ukrainian box office, becoming
Ukraine’s all-time leader. The film was released in 148 countries in 32
languages.
Seven years in the making, the film is
based on Lesya Ukrainka’s drama-fairytale The Forest Song. Mavka: The Forest
Song introduces audiences to the enchanting world of Ukrainian folk mythology
and narrates the conflict between humans and nature.
Dovbush
Historical Drama
Director: Oles Sanin
Dovbush is a new large-scale historical
film by Oles Sanin, the director of The Guide and Mamay. This time, the
director delves into the story of the legendary Carpathian outlaw Oleksa
Dovbush. The film has already garnered 68 million UAH ($1.8 million USD) at the
Ukrainian box office.
Set in the Carpathian Mountains at the
beginning of the 18th Century, the film depicts the harsh rule of
the Polish nobility, compelling locals to flee to the mountains. Two brothers,
Oleksa and Ivan Dovbush, find themselves outside the law and go underground. In
their quest for revenge against the nobles for the murder of their parents, the
brothers turn against each other. One seeks money, the other justice. The
Hutsuls start a rebellion led by Oleksa. The nobility does everything possible
to destroy Dovbush, but he outwits them. The legend of the Carpathian knight
grows, inspiring generations fighting for the freedom of their homeland.
The film is about the strength and love of
Oleksa Dovbush, about betrayal and injustice, and about how he lived and
cheated death.
Pamfir
Drama
Director: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk
Pamfir premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film
Festival's Directors' Fortnight and captured the hearts of Ukrainians even
before its theatrical release. The “Pamfir's Malanka” exhibition which displays
costumes and masks from the film, garnered significant attention on social
media. The film triumphed at the 2023 Ukrainian Film Academy's Golden Dzyga
Awards, winning 11 awards in 22 categories, including Best Film. It has
collected 11 million UAH ($291,000 USD) at the Ukrainian box office and
participated at film festivals in 25 countries around the world.
The full-length drama unfolds in Western
Ukraine on the eve of the traditional Malanka carnival. The story follows
Pamfir as he returns home after a long absence, seeking to reunite with his
family. His family's unconditional love leads him down a risky path with
irreversible consequences.
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