The 17th Odessa International Film Festival, which will take place this year from August 27 toSeptember 4 in Kyiv, has announced the films in its International Competition program. The program includes 14 feature-length films from Europe, North America, and South America.
According to the Odessa International Film Festival’s website, this year’s program brings together films about women’s lives across different historical eras and in various countries. The films explore women’s emotional experiences, their relationships, traumas, love, the struggle for freedom, and the search for their place in the world.
The winner inthe “Best International Feature Film” categorywill be selected by an international jury. The director of the winning film will receive the festival’s top prize—the “Golden Duke” statuette.
In addition, based on the results of the audience vote among the films in the National and International competition programs, the winner of the festival’s Grand Prix will be determined. The winner will also receive the “Golden Duke” and a cash prize of 75,000 hryvnias.
The International Competition includes:
- "Brother"—Poland, Czech Republic, directed by Maciej Sobieski. The story of a family trying to survive in a world of violence and chaos.
- "Dirty Money—White Nights"—Bulgaria, Greece, directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov. A married couple loses the savings they had set aside for their dream trip to St. Petersburg after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine begins.
- "A Second Life"—France, directed by Laurent Slam. An American woman with hearing impairments tries to stay in Paris and forms new connections during the 2024 Olympics.
- "The Invisibles"— Canada, directed by Junna Schiff. A burlesque artist and sex worker rethinks sexuality and the needs of people with disabilities.
- "Ungrateful Creatures" — Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Slovakia, Croatia, directed by Olmo Omerzu. The story of a family and 17-year-old Klara, who is struggling with an eating disorder.
- "The Solitary Sister"— Romania, Serbia, Italy, Spain, directed by Ivana Mladenović. A woman whose infatuation with a famous musician turns into an obsession.
- "At Home"— Hungary, directed by Gábor Holtai. A woman is kidnapped and subsequently mistaken for someone else.
- "Hot"— USA, directed by Ramzi Bashour. A Lebanese mother and her son set out on a journey across the U.S. to visit his father.
- "Eysel 85"— Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, directed by Teodora Ana Mihai. A drama set against the backdrop of the tragedy at Brussels’ Eysel Stadium during the 1985 European Cup final.
- "The Flies"— Mexico, directed by Fernando Eimbke. A lonely elderly woman rents out a room and unexpectedly forms a bond with her tenant’s 9-year-old son.
- "Tell Everyone"—Finland, directed by Alli Haapasalo. The story takes place in 1898 at an island sanatorium for “inconvenient” women.
- "Tell Me How You Feel"—Poland, directed by Łukasz Ronduda. An artist from a poor family meets the founder of an art project where tears can be exchanged for money.
- "Bitch"—Chile, Brazil, directed by Dominga Sotomayor. A woman’s life on a remote island changes after a stray dog appears. The actress who played Yuri won the Palm Dog award at the Cannes Film Festival.
- "Three Days in September"—Romania, directed by Tudor Giurgiu. A woman flees the drama leading up to her wedding and embarks on a journey that changes her outlook on the future.
Recently, the Odessa International Film Festival faced criticism on social media for not returning to Odessa. In response, the OIFF began to defend itself.
It’s worth noting that Kyiv—notOdessa—will host the 17th Odessa International Film Festival for the third consecutive year. Previously, organizers attributed the relocation to the security situation and the consequences of full-scale war.
Odessa is regularly subjected to missile and drone attacks, so the organizers consider it dangerous to hold a large-scale event with international guests in the city. At the same time, Kyiv also regularly faces massive attacks, including those involving ballistic missiles.
During the most recent massive combined strikes on the capital (specifically on the nights of August 5 and 8, 2026), ballistic missiles struck the city; these could not be intercepted due to their high speed and the limited capabilities of existing air defense systems. The Air Force and city authorities have confirmed damage and casualties in the capital.
Андрій Колісніченко