Despite the full-scale aggression of Russia, air raid signals and power outages, the festival with the oldest film tradition in Ukraine's history will be held offline. The festival team managed to save almost all the main programs - with the traditional division into competitive and non-competitive ones. The international competition program will be presented by students, short and debut full-length films, and in the national competition, as usual, the audience is waiting for a selection of Ukrainian short films. A notable feature of this year's international competition in the feature film section is that as many as four Ukrainian films will compete for victory.
The programme department of the film festival explains the following decision: "The Molodist International Competition traditionally collects the best, most exciting debut works from around the world, and Ukrainian films have a special place in it. This year we rejected the requirement of premiere status to highlight the national cinema, which is now more than ever under threat and in need of support. However, these films are important not only in the Ukrainian context, but also in the scope of international cinema - and are manifestations of the talents of new directors and directors who have already declared themselves and are powerful voices of the Ukrainian cultural community."
You can watch the trailer of the 51st Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival programme here.
A variety of non-competitive programs supplements competitive shows. There are also Ukrainian short films that entered a separate out-of-competition section, as well as premieres of Ukrainian feature films. The traditional audience hit - "Scandinavian Panorama" - remained unchanged. What's more: immersing yourself in the atmosphere of gloomy movies with "Midnight special" will allow you to simulate the forgotten viewing experience of late-night viewings during the curfew.
This year, the development of LGBTQ+ films in the Sunny Bunny section will take place on an out-of-competition basis. Those who want to rethink the classics are offered the "100: Centuries" programme, and "4MA: FORMA" is offered to connoisseurs of experimental search. Well, how can we do without the "Festival of Festivals" programme, which will provide an understanding of the world festival context through the viewing of works by the prominent artists of our time.
In the 51st Molodist International Film Festival programme, the audience will be able to watch more than 60 films.
The festival will take place exclusively in an offline format - the site for screenings, the composition of the competition jury, as well as the ticket system will be announced later.
