7-11.09
online on MEGOGO
We will certainly win. And we will create many sincere and insightful films about our experience. Ukrainian animators are already actively responding to the full-scale invasion launched by Russia. Their films are included in this year's national programme of LINOLEUM, the animated flash mobs putler kaput! and #StandWithUkraine, among latest music videos. This retrospective will trace how Ukrainian animation has previously dealt with the theme of war. This selection deliberately features artworks that reveal a more human side of conflicts (for example, the experiences of soldiers' mothers and partners) or lift the spirit with a touching and unpretentious story of resistance ("The War That Changed Rondo" fairy tale and the adaptation of the historical story "The Boy With The Bridle"). Likewise, Ukrainian Soviet cartoons with a propaganda line were deliberately not included in the retrospective. These include the preserved films of the 1930s and all animations reproducing the same myth about the "Great Patriotic War" that is currently inciting the Russian army to commit more war crimes. "The Last Battle" stands out among the selected works: this film makes fun of the old militarists, whose obsession and incapability are very similar to the late Soviet and current Russian military. The programme ends with a message of support and faith in the future in the recent film "Black February" - a masterful puppet animation by 13-year-old Matthew Glazunow, who had to leave his home twice due to the Russian aggression. We hope this retrospective will encourage the Ukrainian animation community for further creative interpretation of the war and unite the rest of the audience in an uplifting artistic experience.
Curated by Yulia Kuznietsova.
Running time 70 min.
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Ukraine | 15:00 | 2020
“The War That Changed Rondo” is an animated film based on the same name book, representing that the war has no heart and doesn’t understand any language, though it concerns everyone and leaves scars. But if you build a machine of light together and learn to sing despite all, then even the most fragile creatures will be able to survive and win. This story is a chance for a thoughtful conversation with children (or even with oneself) about what is happening now in the country, or elsewhere in the world, in the format of the magic history, which always leaves room for hope and optimism.
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USSR | 09:43 | 1984
Illustration of Ukrainian lullabies about maternal love, childhood happiness, and peace on earth. The songs are performed by Nina Matviienko.
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Ukraine | 02:42 | 2014
Animated finger painting depicts the final haunting moments of the Ilyushin IL-76MD of the Ukrainian Air Force, shot down by forces of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic on June 14, 2014.
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Ukraine | 21:56 | 2017
The war separates lovers, but their hearts remain together. The young woman loses her mind, but love gives her strength to wait for her beloved.
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USSR | 09:54 | 1989
A retired former infantry general is now waging an unsuccessful war against cockroaches in his country house. To get rid of the parasites, he buys a modern device that can be used to control insects and drive them out of his home forever. However, after having successfully tested the device, the general has something else in mind.
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USSR | 09:26 | 1974
Screen adaptation of the historical story about a clever shepherd boy who saved his home city Kyiv from the Pecheneg army onslaught in the Х century.
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Ukraine | 02:06 | 2022
The film is about events that are closely related to each other and provoked by war. The city authorities of Russia do not want their citizens to learn the truth. If someone in Russia stands for peace and Ukraine, they are immediately shut up. Other countries are helping Ukraine, shops are closing, and people are leaving their homes. People are protesting, and the Russian authorities are silent...