13 September 2025

Odesa International Festival presents the program of gala premieres

(PHOTO: a still from the movie Dovzhenko: The Great Compromise)

The Odesa Film Festival presented the films participating in the Gala Premiere program, which currently includes 10 films.

According to the OIFF press service, these are different films.

For example, the film Dovzhenko. The Great Compromise directed by Igor Ivanko. The film, dedicated to the 130th anniversary of Oleksandr Dovzhenko, reveals the controversial path of the artist - from his first attempts in cinema to the creation of masterpieces that have become symbols of Ukrainian poetic cinema.

Another film is The Second Breath by Maria Kondakova. The documentary tells the story of four soldiers with experience of amputations and a battle with a wound. Having lost their body parts but not their spirits, they set out to conquer Kilimanjaro to prove that life with prostheses can be full of adventure and meaning.

"The Ukrainian" by Viktor Nordensjöld. The film follows the work of the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, who is conducting difficult negotiations on the country's accession to the EU and NATO during the war.

"My Magical World by Elvin Adygozel. Two friends and members of a music band are faced with a choice between their ambitions and friendship. One seeks fame, the other stays true to his childhood dreams. The film debuted at the goEast festival in Wiesbaden.

"Late Shift (Heldin) by Petr Volpe. Nurse Floria works in the surgical department, where she has to balance her daily work with caring for patients and the exhausting rhythm of the hospital. One night, when she starts her shift without enough colleagues, reality turns into a test. The film had its world premiere at the Berlinale and was nominated for an Oscar from Switzerland.

"The Crossing of Times by Cédric Klapisch. Distant relatives inherit an old house and are forced to take an inventory together. The search leads them to unexpected discoveries and intersections with the past - with the life of Adele, who left this house in 1895 for Paris and a new era that opened up the world of industrial and cultural revolutions.

"Pan or Perish" by Antony Cordier. Mehdi planned to spend a quiet summer in the country house of his girlfriend's relatives. But instead of relaxing, he finds himself embroiled in a conflict between a wealthy family and a couple of villa cleaners.

"Children on Fire by Yevhen Afineevsky. The documentary records crimes against Ukrainian children during a full-scale war.

Alpha by Julia Ducorno. Thirteen-year-old Alpha comes home with a tattoo. Her mother is a doctor, and she realizes that the girl might have contracted an unknown disease that turns people into marble statues.

"The Artist" by Oleksiy Taranenko and Dmytro Tarasov. In 2024, the legendary investigator Major Skoruk, who was thought to have been killed in the battles for Gostomel, is discovered alive. He doesn't remember anything after the moment he signed up as a volunteer. Suddenly, Skoruk begins to paint pictures depicting crimes that have not even happened yet. His art turns into a prophetic key to fighting evil.

Кирило Бойко

You may also like:

Aug. 5, 2026

In Odesa, a contractor was selected to convert the high school's basement into a shelter without any competitors

Semen Kantor: "A museum should not be a political tool"

The director of a driving school in Odessa was sentenced for fraud involving a deceased employee

The Cost of the Blockade: How Much Ukraine Is Losing Due to Russian Attacks on Its Ports Advertisement

In Odesa, a city council official is facing trial for overcharging on a building renovation project

Odessa Plans to Revamp School Meal Program Amid Concerns

"Ukrainian Detox": Odessa, a City Where Hearts Are Broken

In the Odesa region, officials were unable to sell a barge for 15 million that had been protecting the port from Russian drones

The enemy struck a facility near Odesa; there is one fatality and several injured

In Odesa, the head of the district election commission was taken into custody

Mining giant halts production due to Russian attacks on ports in the Odesa region

In Odessa, a Russian agent who was passing on the coordinates of the TCC and military facilities was sent to a pretrial detention center

Aug. 4, 2026

In Odessa, a government official demanded $11,000 in exchange for disability benefits and a deferral

In Odesa, two former officials will stand trial for overpaying 12 million for beds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The court imposed a pretrial restriction on the shooter who fired at military personnel at the TSK in Odesa