With the support of the President of Ukraine and on the initiative of the State Film Agency, the Ukrainian National Film Festival "Cinema for Victory", a film festival of films made during the Russian-Ukrainian war, was launched on the tenth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the second anniversary of the full-scale war.
The organising committee includes the head of the State Film Agency Maryna Kuderchuk, acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostyslav Karandieiev, head of the Office of the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine Olena Kovalska, head of the Odesa Film Studio Andriy Osypov, head of the board of the Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist Andriy Khalpachkhi, and director of the NGO Tribunal Oleg Yatsura. The organising committee is chaired by Andriy Nogin, General Producer of Final Cut Media Ltd.
The film festival is a platform for informational resistance to Russian aggression, a platform for developing wartime content, uniting efforts and sharing experiences for the film community, and strengthening interaction between civilians and the military, which will help to increase motivation on the path to Ukrainian victory. Its main objectives are to maintain attention to the war in Ukraine, to document Russia's crimes against Ukrainians, and to reward documentary filmmakers who use cinema to prove the need for strong and lasting support for Ukraine from international partners.
Cinema for Victory is accepting films for the competition programme until 22 February, and the official part of the National Film Festival will take place on 23-25 February. This year, the festival will focus on films that document Russian war crimes, capturing testimonies about the war through the real stories of Ukrainians.
War documentaries are a testament to the active resistance of Ukrainians, the heroism of defenders and the unprecedented unity of Ukrainian society to confront the enemy. The distribution of documentaries created during the war is a counter to the propaganda of the Russian invaders in Ukraine and around the world, and a powerful argument for the global audience in advocating for Ukraine.
"As a civil society organisation that advocates for justice for Ukraine, we support initiatives like this because they remind us of the power of storytelling. Each of these documented stories serves as a powerful tool in our mission for justice", -Oleg Yatsura, Director of the NGO Tribunal.
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