The Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) has prepared special merch in support of Ukraine, which will be on sale during the East Doc Platform at the French Institute (25-31 March). The money raised will be donated to the DOCU/HELP fund, organized by fellow Ukrainian festival Docudays UA, which helps filmmakers documenting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In cooperation with One World and the French Institute, the IDF will organize three screenings with discussions at Kino 35. The viewers will be able to donate directly to the directors of the screened films with any amount of money for the purchased ticket.
SUNDAY, MARCH 27
Screening + Discussion: Tales of a Toy Horse
(dir. Ulyana Osovska, Denys Strashnyy, UA, EE, 2021, 76 mins)
16:30 – 18:30
Kino 35, French Institute in Prague
Entry: Voluntary donation – support Ukraine
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Ticket on GoOut
Directors of the movie Tales of a Toy Horse Ulyana Osovska and Denys Strashnyy remain in Kyiv in the midst of the war. All proceeds from the entrance fee will be donated to Ukrainian filmmakers. The screening will be followed by a debate on activism and volunteering with freelance translator Olena Ivantsiv, who comes from Mariupol, and Yana Leontiyeva, department head of the Czech Social Science Data Archive.. The film will be screened with English subtitles.
An intimate and poetic cinema verite with animated interludes reveals the philosophy of life of an old monk and artist, who for many years keeps his monastic vow to find something good in every day. Combining spiritual life with social activism since 2014, he has taken multiple trips to deliver humanitarian aid to Donbas, where his vow is challenged by the war-torn reality.
TUESDAY, MARCH 29
Screening + Discussion: This Rain Will Never Stop
(dir. Alina Gorlova, UA, LV, DE, QA, 2020, 102 mins)
18:30 – 20:45
Kino 35, French Institute in Prague
Entry: Voluntary donation – support Ukraine
FB event
Tickets on GoOut
Director Alina Gorlova stays in Kiev with fellow filmmakers, helping people in need and documenting the current situation. All proceeds from the entrance fee will be donated to support their cause. The film will be screened with both English and Czech subtitles. The screening will be followed by a debate on war-to-war migration, double standards of migration and other topics.
This Rain Will Never Stop takes the audience on a powerful, visually arresting journey through humanity’s endless cycle of war and peace. The film follows 20-year-old Andriy Suleyman as he tries to secure a sustainable future while navigating the human toll of armed conflict. From the Syrian civil war to strife in Ukraine, Andriy’s existence is framed by the seemingly eternal flow of life and death.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
Screening + Introduction: The Earth Is Blue as an Orange
(dir. Iryna Tsilyk, UA, LT, 2020, 74 mins)
21:00 – 22:30
Kino 35, French Institute in Prague
Entry: Voluntary donation – support Ukraine
FB event
Tickets on GoOut
A screening of the award-winning film by Ukrainian director Iryna Tsilyk, who stays in Ukraine with her child and reports on current events. All proceeds from the entrance fee will be donated to Iryna. The film (screened with both English and Czech subtitles) will be accompanied by an introduction.
Single mother Anna and her four children live in the front-line war zone of Donbas, Ukraine. While the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, the family is managing to keep their home as a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, motivating them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of power the magical world of cinema could have during times of disaster. How to picture war through fiction? For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human.