According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, the 23rd Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival has begun in the capital and will run until June 12, the Ukrainian State Film Agency reports on Facebook.
“This year’s festival theme—‘Simple Structures’—is dedicated to the search for internal and social supports that help Ukrainians hold on amid the war,” the statement reads.
The opening film was the documentary “Born a Forger” by German directors Erek Bremer and Benjamin Rost, which explores the high-profile media scandal involving journalist Michael Born and raises questions about media literacy and the verification of information in the post-truth era.
Among the festival’s innovations is the establishment of the Viktor Onysko Memorial Award for Best Editing in Ukrainian Documentary Film.
The Docudays UA program includes 82 feature-length and short films, most of which were made in 2025–2026. Among them are 33 Ukrainian films: 12 national premieres and eight world premieres.
The State Film Agency noted that the festival features a strong lineup of Ukrainian documentary films that explore the consequences of war, personal resilience, and the reinterpretation of art.
Angelina Karyakina and Maksym Shcherbyna hosted the opening ceremony.
The festival’s main offline venues are traditionally the Kyiv cinemas “Zhovten” and Kino42. Additionally, from June 7 to 11, 20 films will be screened at the online cinema DOCUSPACE.
The 23rd Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1174607.html
docudays_ua, international_documentary_film_festival, state_film_agency
