Fr 02.12.22, 21:15 — Metropolis Kino, Kleine Theaterstraße 10, 20354 Hamburg
НІЧОГО ПРО НАС БЕЗ НАС - УКРАЇНСЬКІ КВІР-ФІЛЬМИ | Nothing About Us Without Us - Ukrainian Queer Films
2.12.22, 21:15, Metropolis Kino, Kleine Theaterstr. 10
TICKETS
Program with queer Ukrainian short films.
After the films there will be a discussion with film guests:
Oleksandr Bodnar, actor in Aftertaste.
Vitaliy Havura, director of Chacho
Svitlana Shymko, co-director of The Wonderful Years
Halyna Yarmanova, co-director The Wonderful Years
Bohdan Zhuk, curator of the program
Ukrainian queer cinema does not have a long history. In the few Ukrainian films from the soviet era that were allowed to be made and were not shelved for decades by harsh censorship, at best subtle hints or undertones of queerness (or sexuality at all) may be found. Any manifestation of “otherness” could hardly be imagined in the oppressive imperialist machine, and this otherness included any sign of Ukrainian national identity, which was deemed as harmful nationalism. The same narrative runs through Russia’s current colonialist policy toward Ukraine, which is now fighting an anti-colonial war.
That is why parallels can be found between Ukrainian queerness and the broader Ukrainian identity, as both involve fighting for agency and life itself. LGBTIQ+ people are joining the ranks of the military, volunteers, and other fighters for Ukraine’s very existence, and their unity is a sign of hope.
Ukrainian film has flourished in recent years, and queer cinema is becoming a notable and inextricable part of it. This program represents new queer Ukrainian voices that have the potential to become a major force in the Ukrainian and international film world. As most film productions are being halted by the war, the future is uncertain, and they need support for their voices not to be silenced.
(Text: Bohdan Zhuk, Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival)
Total length film program: 91'
CN: In a film there is the depiction of sexual violence.
Kittens
Zhanna Ozirna, Ukraine 2017, 9’, Ukrainian original version with German subtitles
Two women in an old Lviv apartment talk about their common future. Dreams about the future bump up against the social norms and customs: can we afford freedom at least in our private lives without having to substitute it with pets?
Aftertaste
Yura Katynskiy, Ukraine 2017, 20’, Ukrainian original version with German subtitles
A guy comes back to a small city. Together with old friends he has a good time and they get into a car with a stranger. That spontaneous action turns out to be a chance to become closer to each other and find yourself.
The Wonderful Years
Svitlana Shymko, Halyna Yarmanova, Ukraine 2018, 9’, Russian original version with German subtitles
The research film explores the lives of queer women in Ukraine in the late Soviet Union, with archive video material and interviews excerpts from research projects on LGBT history.
Goodbye Sveta
Nastya Kanareva, Ukraine 2020, 20’, Ukrainian-Russian original version with German subtitles
After starting his transition, Soldadu ist beaten by far-right extremists and persecuted by the Russian secret service FSB. He flees to Ukraine and seeks asylum there. The trial goes on for almost three years, and all the while the ghosts of his past continue to haunt him.
Chacho
Vitaliy Havura, Ukraine 2020, 20’, Original version in Romani and Ukrainian with German subtitles
Yanush grew up in a conservative Romani community in a small Ukrainian town. He is about to get married, just what his parents want. However, Yanush is gay and in love with Pasha. Together they decide to leave the town, but can Yanush really do it?
The Secret, the Girl and the Boy
Oksana Kazmina, Ukraine 2018, 13’, Russian original version with German subtitles
A girl and a boy create their own ways of interacting with the world. Adult social constructs become part of the bizarre children's folklore. In the world of Girl and Boy there are secrets and many ways to be.