NGO Docudays and the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival are publishing a new edition of the Electronic Catalogue of Ukrainian Documentary (2024–2026), which presents Ukrainian documentary films and film projects, as well as Ukrainian and international production companies, studios, film festivals, distributors, film industry professionals, and in particular, curators of non-fiction cinema.
Gennady Kofman, one of the founders and the first head of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, a member of the Festival’s Selection Board, tells the story of the catalogue’s creation:
“Ten years ago, the incredible queues to the cinemas during the festival week indicated the growing interest in creative documentary films. We were pleased that this popularity of documentary films in Ukraine had developed thanks to the work of the wonderful Docudays UA team. We saw how a new powerful generation of Ukrainian documentary film directors was emerging after the Revolution of Dignity, and we realised that the time had come to create a professional publication.
“This would be a publication that would serve as a guide for the film industry and help festival programmers and distributors discover contemporary Ukrainian documentary films for audiences around the world, as well as find partners for future co-productions. Thus, the first edition of the annual Catalogue of Ukrainian Documentary was published in 2015.
Still from a film 2000 Meters to Andriivka, the project was included in the new edition of the catalogue.
“Today, documentary films from Ukraine are present at all major film festivals around the world. Many directors and producers have already established lasting collaborations with colleagues from across the globe. But the films and film projects included in the new edition of our catalogue are not merely a reflection of the current state of film production or the evolution of national cinema. This edition is not just a reference book for industry professionals. Each title is a component of the great chronicle of the tragedy, resilience, and resistance of the Ukrainian people. These films and projects are also testimonies to the joint struggle for shared values, because without the support of our European colleagues and film institutions, almost none of these films could have been realized.”
This year, we received over 100 applications for the catalogue. 58 films, 161 personalities, and 79 organizations were carefully selected among them; information about them is available in the 8th Electronic Catalogue of Ukrainian Documentary. Each of these projects shapes the landscape of contemporary Ukrainian documentary filmmaking, showing how Ukrainians make sense of current events through culture: reflecting, experiencing the war, rethinking and decolonizing their own history through the study of specific events and figures. Although war remains the central theme of many films, the projects also explore other important aspects of life: coming of age, family, environment, and equality.
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“Selecting projects for the catalogue is somewhat like meeting old friends — during the time you haven’t seen each other, changes take place that are incredibly interesting to observe. Some projects that were still at the idea development stage last year or the year before are now taking shape, others are already hitting the screens and returning with lists of festivals behind them, and their creators are already nurturing new projects. I hope our catalogue will become an additional tool for all its participants in finding international partnerships and foreign big screens — and thus, in developing the Ukrainian film industry and promoting Ukrainian narratives abroad.
Still from a film Red Zone, the project was included in the new edition of the catalogue.
“Sincere thanks to all the teams of organisations, projects, and films included in the catalogue. And of course, to everyone who made the 8th Electronic Catalogue of Ukrainian Documentary possible. In particular, to the International Renaissance Foundation, with whose support this edition was prepared. And also to our team, who carefully and thoroughly prepared this new edition: colleagues from the Selection Board and the Programme Department, the catalogue editor Oleksandra Kalinichenko, the website editor Kseniia Opria, the IT Department Director Yevhen Antiukhin, the designer Daria Podoltseva, and all the colleagues at Docudays UA,” shares Docudays UA Programme Director Yuliia Kovalenko.
Read more about the selection criteria for the Catalogue in the Regulations.
Publication of the Catalogue is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation. The Catalogue does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.
Should you have any questions, please email us at: [email protected].
