According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, the 79th Cannes Film Festival has concluded in France, with the jury announcing the winners of the main competition program. The top prize—the “Palme d’Or”—went to the film Fjord by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. This is the director’s second victory at Cannes following his triumph in 2007, reports the French publication Le Monde.
“This year has once again shown that cinema remains a way to talk about society, fears, and coexistence even in times of global tension,” Mungiu said during the awards ceremony.
The film “Fjord” marks the director’s English-language debut. The film tells the story of a Romanian family that moves to Norway and finds itself at the center of a conflict after social services intervene due to allegations of child neglect. The film explores the clash between traditional values and the modern European model of society. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve starred in the lead roles.
The festival’s second most prestigious award—the Grand Prix—went to the film “Minotau” by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev.
The Jury Prize went to the film The Dreamed Adventure by director Valeska Grisebach.
The jury split the award for Best Director between Paweł Pawlikowski for the film Fatherland and the creative duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrosi for the film The Black Ball.
Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto were named Best Actresses of the festival for their roles in the film All of a Sudden. The award for Best Actor was shared by Emmanuel Makia and Valentin Campagne for their work in the film Coward. The prize for Best Screenplay went to Emmanuel Marr for the film A Man of His Time.
This year’s festival took place against a backdrop of discussions about the role of cinema in times of war, political turbulence, and social change—these themes were among the key ones in the competition program.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1170680.html
Applications are now being accepted for the 16th International Cyprus Short Film Festival, which will take place October 10–16, 2026, in Limassol (Republic of Cyprus), according to the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
The State Film Agency noted that the festival aims to promote the art of cinema by screening short films from around the world, as well as to support the work of filmmakers and the development of contemporary cinematic language.
Short films in five categories are accepted for the international competition program: fiction, documentary, experimental, student, and animated. The duration of the films must not exceed 30 minutes.
Applications for participation can be submitted until May 2, 2026, via the online platforms ShortFilmDepot or FilmFreeway.
It is noted that the Cyprus International Short Film Festival is part of the European Film Academy’s network of partner festivals and, since 2019, has had the right to nominate one film for the European Film Academy Award.
International film festivals regularly open submissions for directors from various countries, giving young filmmakers the opportunity to present their work to the international professional community.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers has increased the number of deputy heads of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema to three.
The New German Cinema Festival opened in the capital with its 31st edition, starting with a screening of the musical biopic Cologne 75 by director Ido Fluk, which was presented at the Berlinale.
“Art in difficult times can give hope and provide guidance,” said Lisa Heike, press attaché for culture at the German Embassy in Ukraine, at the opening, emphasizing the importance of cultural events during wartime.
In the coming days, Kyiv residents will be able to see six key German premieres of the year, including a potential Oscar contender and a new film by Tom Tykwer.
After the screenings in Kyiv, the program will travel to other Ukrainian cities: Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Chernivtsi, and Dnipro.
The festival is organized by the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine in cooperation with the film company Arthouse Traffic, with the support of general partner German Films and official partner ProCredit Bank.
The Ukrainian children’s art festival “Veselka” was held in Novi Sad, Serbia, organized with the participation of the Ukrainian Embassy and the Ukrainian diaspora. The event became a platform for cultural unity and support for Ukrainian families living in Serbia.
The Veselka festival brought together children and families of Ukrainian origin from different cities in Serbia, offering them master classes, concerts, and interactive zones. The aim of the event was to preserve ties with Ukrainian roots, support the emotional well-being of migrant children, and strengthen the cultural infrastructure of the diaspora.
Exact data on the number of Ukrainian citizens and residents in Serbia varies. According to the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, approximately 22,000 Ukrainian citizens have been registered in the country since the start of the war.
However, statistics on the number of Ukrainians living permanently or under temporary protection are not published regularly.
As Serbian Economist reports, the first Ukrainian Literature Festival organized by the Ukrainian Center “Triglav” in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Serbia took place in the Serbian capital.
The event united Ukrainian writers, translators, literary critics and Serbian fans of Ukrainian culture.
According to the organizers, the goal of the festival is to popularize modern Ukrainian literature abroad and develop cultural dialogue between Ukraine and Serbia.
The festival included readings by Ukrainian authors, presentations of translations into Serbian, panel discussions and meetings with translators working on adapting works by Ukrainian writers for local audiences.
New translations of Ukrainian works into Serbian were presented during the festival. Serbian publishers emphasized that interest in Ukrainian culture has grown significantly after 2022.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1569
The Italian city of Trento will host the Ukro-2025 festival of Ukrainian culture on September 28, UkrInform reports with reference to the Ukrainian Newspaper in Italy.
The event will take place at the Trentino Music Arena in San Vincenzo with the support of the Trento City Council and will be held in parallel with Oktoberfest, uniting cultural traditions of Central Europe and Ukraine.
The festival, founded in Milan in 2015, is being held for the seventh time. Previously Ukro was hosted by the cities of Milan, Bergamo, Brescia, Padua, Venice and Bologna.
The program includes concerts by Ukrainian performers, dance and theater groups, craft fair, gastronomic presentations, master classes and charity initiatives. A special element will be the collective artwork DIM-UKRO, created by hundreds of participants.
The organizers expect more than two thousand visitors and emphasize that the festival not only popularizes Ukrainian culture, but also promotes intergenerational dialogue and support for the diaspora.
