This year’s DocuDays human rights documentary film festival in Kyiv has thrown up a crop of must-see movies, but with 94 documentaries from 47 countries on the bill, and a range of other festival activities, there should be something to suit every interest.
The organizers of the festival, which runs March 24-31, have drawn up competition and non-competition programs, as well as a series of lectures and workshops to accompany the screenings.
This year’s DocuDays sets the ambitious goal of having an impact on Ukraine’s environmental culture, being dedicated to the topic of climate change and care of the environment. A special program called “4 degrees” (environmental scientists predict that the average temperature on Earth will increase 4 degrees by the end of the century) includes five films on environmental issues and the consequences humanity could face from a changing climate.
The festival will be held in the Cinema House, Kyiv and Kinopanorama cinemas. Tickets can be bought online at www.docudays.org.ua. The movies are to be shown in their original languages, with Ukrainian and English subtitles. The Kyiv Post has picked out some of the most interesting of the movies planned for screening
The Yes Men Are Revolting
Chosen as the opening film of the festival, “The Yes Men Are Revolting” tells the story of an activist duo who try to draw the world’s attention to corporate crimes against humanity and the environment. The weapon they have selected for their fight is comedy – they play pranks and impersonate people. But the older the activists get, the harder it becomes for them to stay enthusiastic. And can they overcome the crisis before the ice caps melt?
March 25. 11 a.m. Cinema House (6 Saksahanskoho St.)
Venus
The film “Venus:” is a part of the festival program about women entitled “Three things I don’t know about her”. Created by two female directors from Denmark, it explores female sexuality through the stories of 100 women, who talk frankly about their experiences.
Age rating 18+
March 25. 5 p.m. Kinopanorama (19 Shota Rustaveli St.)
Out of fashion
Reet Aus is a fashion designer who is dedicated to upcycling. She is trying to change the world, rather than become a victim of global consumption. Fashion industry corporations produce tons of clothing that very soon become tons of toxic waste. The film follows Reet Aus’s fight against the industry from the inside.
March 25. 8 p.m. Cinema House (6 Saksahanskoho St.)
The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov
This movie was first presented at the Berlin film festival the Berlinale. It focuses on the case of Crimean director Oleg Sentsov, who was arrested by the Russian security service in 2014 because of his outspoken opposition to the Kremlin’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Sentsov was abducted from Crimea, taken to Moscow and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a kangaroo court in the Russian capital. Accused of terrorist attacks, he never pled guilty. In the documentary, Russian director Askold Kurov conducts his own investigation into the case.
March 25. 9 p.m. Cinema House (6 Saksahanskoho St.)
Lo & Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
The iconic, Oscar-nominated director Werner Herzog has captured the history of the virtual world. The movie is a series of provocative conversations with scientists, developers and usual people about the transformation of the online world in all of its fields – education, business, healthcare – and most importantly – our personal relationships.
March 25. 9.15 p.m. Kyiv Cinema (19 Velyka Vasylkivska St.)
ThuleTuvalu
Thule is a town situated in the extreme north of Greenland, where the ice is receding year by year, while Tuvalu is a small island state in the Pacific Ocean, where the sea level is rising more and more. This documentary tells the story of people who live in opposite climatic conditions and who have different ways of life, but who face the same problem of climate change. Their lives could be changed forever because of global warming.
March 29. 7 p.m. Cinema House (6 Saksahanskoho St.)
