Rome will host the Ukrainian and Polish Film Days from 27 to 29 October, bringing together contemporary cinema and internationally recognised classics from both countries.
The three-day festival, Giornate del Cinema Ucraino e Polacco a Roma, will take place at Casa del Cinema in Villa Borghese, with free screenings open to the public upon advance registration.
The event is organised with the support of the Ukrainian and Polish embassies to the Holy See, the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Polish Film Institute, the Dovzhenko Centre and the Warsaw Film School.
The programme features works by Ukrainian directors Pavlo Ostrikov, Mstyslav Chernov and Sergei Parajanov, alongside three films by acclaimed Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda.
The festival begins on Tuesday, 27 October, with official greetings at 16:30, followed by a 17:00 screening of U Are the Universe (2024), Pavlo Ostrikov's science-fiction film. At 19:00, audiences will see Andrzej Wajda's Man of Marble (1977), a landmark of Polish cinema examining the relationship between political power, propaganda and individual lives.
On Wednesday, 28 October, the official opening ceremony will take place at 16:00. At 17:00, the festival will screen 2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025), the documentary by Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov, which follows Ukrainian soldiers during their effort to retake a village in Donetsk region.
The evening programme continues at 19:00 with Wajda's Katyń (2007), a historical drama about the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in 1940.
The final day, Thursday, 29 October, will begin with a selection of student short films, screened between 15:00 and 17:30.
At 18:00, audiences will have the opportunity to watch Sergei Parajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964), one of the most celebrated works of Ukrainian cinema, inspired by the culture and traditions of the Hutsul people in the Carpathian Mountains.
The festival concludes at 20:00 with Wajda's Man of Iron (1981), which explores Poland's Solidarity movement and the political struggles of the communist era.
By presenting films that explore history, national identity, political repression and contemporary war, the festival offers Italian audiences an opportunity to engage with the cinematic traditions and experiences of Ukraine and Poland.
- Venue: Casa del Cinema, Villa Borghese, Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, Rome.
- Admission: Free, with advance registration required.
- Registration: [email protected] or WhatsApp +380 63 627 1715.
