SEPTEMBER FEST 2026, Ukraine’s largest urban festival dedicated to urban development, contemporary architecture, real estate development, design, culture, and the quality of urban life, will take place on September 18 in Kyiv at the A-STATION venue.
According to the event organizers, the festival will run from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Entry to the A-STATION grounds will be via the Mykilski Gates near the “Arsenalska” metro station.
SEPTEMBER FEST 2026 is expected to attract about 3,000 visitors and over 150 speakers. Invited participants include mayors of Ukrainian cities, chief architects, representatives of real estate development companies and investment funds, architectural firms, designers, government officials, international experts, and specialized media outlets.
The festival’s main themes will include the development of Ukrainian cities, modern approaches to architecture and urban planning, real estate development, investments in real estate and urban infrastructure, the design of public spaces, culture, and the creation of a comfortable urban environment.
The organizers position SEPTEMBER FEST as a professional platform for dialogue among representatives of government, business, and the architectural and real estate development communities, as well as for discussing the future of Ukrainian cities and projects for their revitalization and development.
Basic admission to the festival is free upon prior registration.
SEPTEMBER FEST 2026 is organized by DMNTR, with A Development serving as the general partner.
Open4business is the official media partner of SEPTEMBER FEST 2026.
ARCHITECTURE, DEVELOPMENT, DMNTR, FESTIVAL, KYIV, SEPTEMBER FEST 2026, urban planning
According to “The Serbian Economist”, Sarajevo is hosting the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, which over three decades has evolved from a festival founded during the city’s siege into one of the leading film platforms in Southeast Europe.
The festival runs from August 14 to 21, 2026. Its program features over 250 films, with participants hailing from approximately 70 countries and territories. Fifty-one films are competing for the top prize, the “Heart of Sarajevo,” across four competition sections. Among them are 21 world premieres, six international premieres, and one European premiere.
A distinctive feature of the Sarajevo Film Festival is its strong regional focus. The official competition section includes 21 countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
But the actual geographical scope is much broader. Thanks to international co-productions, the program also features films made in collaboration with France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Iran, Qatar, and other countries.
The festival opened with the film *Fatherland* by Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski, a co-production of Poland, Germany, Italy, and France. Among this year’s distinguished guests are British actress Emily Watson, Mexican actor and director Diego Luna, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, and Woody Harrelson.
In addition to regular film screenings, the Sarajevo Film Festival has long served as a major business platform for the film industry. As part of the CineLink Industry Days, there are presentations of new projects, as well as meetings between directors and producers and funding organizations, distributors, and potential investors.
Why this festival is special. The Sarajevo Film Festival was launched in 1995, during the siege of Sarajevo. It was founded by Obala Art Centar as an effort to preserve the city’s cultural life amid the war. The first festival became a symbol of the city’s return to normal life.
Over the next three decades, it has evolved into one of the Balkan region’s leading film festivals and a platform through which regional cinema enters the European market. That is why, in August, Sarajevo effectively becomes one of the region’s cultural capitals: it attracts not only actors and directors, but also producers, film distributors, representatives of international foundations, and streaming platforms.
The festival will conclude on August 21.
The Second Ukrainian Film Festival in Thailand, organized by the Embassy of Ukraine to mark the 35th anniversary of the country’s independence, will take place in Bangkok on August 5–6.
The screenings will take place at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The program includes four Ukrainian films of various genres—a biographical drama, a documentary, a family adventure film, and an anthology of short stories.
The festival will open on August 5 at 4:00 p.m. with a screening of the 2025 film “Malevich,” dedicated to the life and work of Ukrainian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich.
At 6:00 p.m., audiences will be treated to the 2026 documentary “The Underground Garden.” The film tells the story of a children’s art studio operating in a Kharkiv bomb shelter as it prepares for its first international exhibition.
On the second day, August 6, at 3:00 p.m., there will be a screening of the family adventure film “The Guard Post,” based on the legends and imagery of the Kievan Rus’ era.
The festival will conclude at 6:00 p.m. with the 2025 anthology of short films *War Through the Eyes of Animals*. It features stories based on real events about animals during a full-scale war. Oscar-winning American actor and director Sean Penn participated in the creation of the project.
The embassy noted that the festival program aims to introduce Thai audiences to the culture and history of Ukraine, the resilience of Ukrainian society, and the lives of people living under wartime conditions.
Admission to all screenings is free, but advance registration is required—https://forms.gle/CkNvc5TjmUdvDmV6A.
According to Serbian Economist, the Ukrainian documentary “Night Shift,” directed by Megumi Lim, has been selected for the competition program of the 39th Herceg Novi Film Festival, which will take place in Montenegro from August 22 to 28, 2026.
The festival’s documentary section will feature 26 films by filmmakers from various countries. Of these, 24 films will compete for the “Golden Mimosa” award, while two others will be screened out of competition. Screenings of the documentary program will take place from August 23 to 27 in the courtyard of writer Ivo Andrić’s house.
Ukraine will be represented by the film *Night Shift*, shot in 2025. Its director is Megumi Lim, a documentary filmmaker and journalist based in Kyiv who previously worked with international media outlets in Japan and China.
The 29-minute film tells the story of people who continue to work in Kharkiv during the nighttime curfew. The film’s protagonists are employees of public services and businesses who keep the city functioning amid regular Russian attacks. The filmmakers show how the war has changed Kharkiv’s nightlife and how residents maintain their usual rhythm despite the threats.
“Night Shift” marks Megumi Lim’s debut short documentary. In 2025, the film won the Audience Choice Award at the Kyiv International Short Film Festival and was also screened at several international film festivals.
The festival program in Herceg Novi also features documentaries from the United States, Norway, Greenland, Chad, Palestine, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Iran, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Finland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Colombia, Serbia, Georgia, Sweden, and Montenegro.
Vladimir Perović, the documentary program’s selector, noted that this year’s program focuses on the war in Ukraine, the situations in Palestine and Bosnia, climate change, the legacy of colonialism, historical memory, the status of women, and the challenges of coming of age.
The festival will take place under the slogan “All the Colors of Cinema” at several venues in Herceg Novi. In addition to the documentary section, the program includes regional feature-length films, European cinema, student films, television series, and events for film industry professionals.
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.
