Shorts 20: Ukraine

Before the global pandemic, in the halcyon days of 2019, one country was spoken about more than any other: Ukraine. But as typical Americans, how much do we know about the Ukraine? I found these snapshots to hold subtle, but important insights into what makes Ukraine what it is today. 

Get Tickets Here! 


Kachalka

Directed By: Gar O’Rourke

Ireland, 9 minutes

A journey into the heart of what is widely considered the world’s most hardcore gym – Kiev’s enormous open-air “Kachalka” gym. This observational film follows the gym’s caretaker as he takes us through the enormous scrap-metal site, allowing a glimpse into the workouts of various other local gym goers along the way.

Festivals & Awards:
Newport Beach Film Festival
HotDocs
Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival


Anna

Directed By: Dekel Berenson
Written By: Dekel Berenson
Cast: Svetlana Barandich, Anastasia Vyazovskaya, Eric R. Gilliatt, Alina Chornogub, Liana Khobelia, Istan Rozumny, Pavel Levitsky

United Kingdom, 15 minutes
 

Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine Anna is an aging single mother who is desperate for a change. Lured by a radio advertisement, she goes to party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love.

Festivals & Awards:
Cannes Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival


Enter Through The Balcony

Directed By: Roman Blazhan

Ukraine, 26 minutes
 

Enter Through The Balcony is a Documentary Short about Ukrainian make-shift balconies.
The film explores the phenomenon of the balcony as a small architectural form. Enter Through The Balcony is a journey through the decades. It is a look inside balconies and their owners in cities across Ukraine. It is a balanced and in depth view of the balconies from their owners, employees of city councils, historians, sociologists, urbanists, developers and architects. Through the history of the balconies film explores the history of Post-Soviet Ukraine — life, culture, and the relationships between personal and public space in cities.