The Odessa Film Festival Has Announced the Program for the Gala Premiere

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The 17th Odessa International Film Festival presented its “Gala Premieres” program. It brought together films that explore, in various ways, historical memory, the experience of war, the power of human relationships, and the desire to shape the future.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was announced by the Odesa International Film Festival.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>In particular, the following feature films will be screened for the first time at the Gala Premiere: </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"Good Thing Mom Doesn’t Know," 2025, Ukraine, dir. Sasha Litvinenko. The plot follows four stories of family members whose lives unexpectedly intertwine through a single person—an influential mafia boss. Unaware of the trials each is facing, the characters gradually move toward a shared resolution.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"Krashanka 2.0: The Quantum Paradox," 2025, Ukraine, dir. Taras Dudar. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Upon learning that his son is not on the front lines but in a military hospital, Ivan Zabiyaka sets off across the country in an old minibus along with his own “Quantum Paradoxes Machine,” hoping to change the past and prevent the war. Yarik’s family is also traveling to meet him. The journey becomes an opportunity for the family to reconnect.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"The Adventures of Cossack Vyhovsky," 2025, Ukraine, dir. Semen Gorov. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Vyhovsky—a special agent and confidant of the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth—is, in fact, a double agent for the Zaporizhian Host. However, the bohemian life in Warsaw has gone to the agent’s head, and he has stopped sending intelligence reports. As punishment for dereliction of duty, the Ataman sends Vyhovsky to build a guard post at the Obmachiv farmstead. There, Ivan must form a military detachment to counter a potential attack from Muscovy.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"Gorky Resort: The Duel" (Gorky Resort), 2026, Poland / Ireland / Ukraine, dir. Łukasz Palkowski. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>After the occupation of eastern Poland by Soviet troops, Polish officer and pianist Grabowski finds himself in a prisoner-of-war camp in Kozelsk. There, he engages in a psychological standoff with an NKVD major who seeks to persuade him to collaborate. Bolstered by an unexpected reunion with his wife, Grabowski refuses to betray his principles. In the spring of 1940, he and other prisoners are sent to Katyn.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The following documentary films will also be screened:</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span> "Land of Dreams? Land of Action!", 2025, Ukraine, dir. Volodymyr Mula. The film depicts</span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>four stories of Ukrainians who, despite opportunities abroad, decided to return home to bring their ideas to life and help develop the country. Through these personal stories, the film explores responsibility, the power of choice, and the people who are shaping Ukraine’s future.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"She," 2026, Ukraine, dir. Tetiana Staneva. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Three Ukrainian women experience the war through their daily anticipation of news from the front, their volunteer work, and their care for loved ones. At the same time, the viewer sees the daily lives of their husbands—soldiers of the 88th Battalion. This is a story of love, resilience, and the inner strength that helps them endure.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"Photos from the War," 2026, Ukraine, dir. Ivanka-Kateryna Yakovyna. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Six photographs taken by Ukrainian and international photojournalists at the start of the full-scale invasion have become symbols of the war for the entire world. Through the stories of their creators and the people captured in the frames, the film explores the power of documentary photography as evidence, memory, and a tool in the fight for truth.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>"Distance to Independence," 2026, Ukraine / Canada, dir. Daria Sarycheva. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On August 24, 1991, Ukraine declared its independence. But no one recognized it. The U.S. was against it. Russia was making threats. 70% of Ukrainians had recently voted to preserve the USSR. Soviet troops were stationed in Kyiv. And only 99 days separated us from a scenario where all of this would have ended before it even began. This is a film about those who prevented that from happening. And about why their struggle is our struggle today.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Юлія Калабайда