From October 25 to November 2, the 54th Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist — Ukraine’s oldest running film festival — will take place in Kyiv.
The main event of the festival is the International Competition, traditionally featuring debut feature films, short films, and student works.
This year, 12 feature films from around the world have been selected for the competition, including:
- "We Believe You" (dir. Charlotte Devillier, Arnaud Dufay, Belgium) — world premiere at the 75th Berlinale, honored with a special award for best debut.
- "Hooligan" (dir. Harris Dickinson, UK) — the directorial debut of the actor from Kingsman and Triangle of Sadness; premiered in Cannes, winner of the FIPRESCI Prize and Best Actor award.
- "Our House Is on Fire" (dir. Olesya Biletska, Ukraine) — world premiere. The story of a singer returning from Los Angeles to Kyiv at the start of the full-scale war. Starring Anastasia Pustovit.
- "A Useful Ghost" (dir. Ratchapoom Boonbanchachoke, France) — Grand Prix of the Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, Thailand’s submission for the Oscars.
- "Master of the House" (dir. Andamion Murataj, Albania, Italy, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia) — a project that won the Boat Meeting pitching session at Molodist-45.
- "Crazy Accounts, or Destiny, Tell Me I’m Good" (dir. Joel Alfonso Vargas, USA) — premiered at Sundance, the leading festival of independent cinema.
- "Strange River" (dir. Claret Muxart, Spain, Germany) — participant in the “Horizons” section of the Venice Film Festival, contender for the Queer Lion.
- "Repair" (dir. Gabriele Urbonaitė, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania) — premiered in Karlovy Vary; a modern drama about millennials searching for themselves, featuring Ukrainian actor Roman Lutskiy.
- "Blue Heron" (dir. Sophy Romvari, Canada, Hungary) — winner of best debut awards at the Locarno and Toronto film festivals.
The festival is supported by the State Film Agency of Ukraine and the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine.
This year, Molodist also marks its 55th anniversary since its founding. The first edition took place in 1970 as a student short film review at the Karpenko-Karyi Institute of Theatre, Cinema and Television. Over time, the festival evolved into Ukraine’s premier film event, and since the 1990s has held the status of an international specialized debut film festival registered by FIAPF.
