Movies Similar to Cultural Code of Ukraine: East

Why I'm Alive(2021)

Mariupol. Pre-war life in a small Ukrainian town on the shore of the Azov Sea, with a good family life, quarrelsome neighbors, amateur opera, denunciations to the NKVD, and a dance floor in the city garden, the persecution of religion and, of course, with love.

Eurodonbas(2022)

Throughout time, Eastern Ukraine (such as Donbas) has been referred to as a 'Russian world', but this is indeed not the case. The history of Donbas was re-written during the Soviet era. Although the Soviet Union edited out and withheld all references to the European background of this region from history books in schools and universities. There were, in fact, numerous French, Belgian, German, British, Polish, Swiss, Dutch, and even American settlements and more than 100 wide-scale enterprises in the region. Therefore, this film reveals the pro-European industrialization of Ukrainian Donbas at the turn of the 19th century. It aims to emphasize the European roots of Ukraine long before the official integration process of Ukraine into the EU in 2022.

Despite it All

It's spring 2022, and Russia has begun its invasion of Ukraine. In Kyiv, we meet the rock musician Artem, who with only 14 days' notice could be sent to the front lines. Right now, however, his focus is elsewhere. He is preparing for a charity tour in Denmark.

Maidan(2014)

A chronicle of the civil uprising against the regime of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych that took place in Kyiv in the winter of 2013/14. The film follows the progress of the revolution: from peaceful rallies, half a million strong in the Maidan square, to the bloody street battles between protesters and riot police.

Chernobyl: The Last Battle of the USSR(2021)

Three decades after the nuclear explosion, almost everything has been said about this ecological and sanitary disaster that made Pripiat a part of History. How did the greatest industrial disaster change the course of History, disrupt global geopolitics and, directly or indirectly, redistribute the balances and power relations of the twentieth century? The world will never be the same again. By retracing the incredible battle waged by the Soviet Union against radiation, this film proposes to retrace and enlighten an extraordinary story, while exploring the historical stakes in the medium and long-term…

The Winter Garden’s Tale(2018)

The film’s story is based on the fate of the Floriculture Pavilion of the former Exhibition of Achievements of the People’s Economy, and its elderly employee Valentyna Voronina, who maintains this space, investing her own life into it, until suddenly changes come to her. After forty-five years of work, she is asked to retire. But Voronina does not agree with that, because she thinks that all the plants will die without her. Meanwhile, a group of mysterious radioesthesists find a channel of positive energy right in front of the entrance to the pavilion.

Tatort Ostsee - Wer sprengte die Nord Stream-Pipelines?(2023)

Mariana's Room(2025)

In the darkest days of the Second World War, Yulia and Hugo, a Jewish mother and son, escape from a Ukrainian ghetto. Fearing for his safety, Yulia entrusts her boy to the care of her friend Mariana, a sex worker who lives in a brothel. Hugo is placed in a closet, nominally for his safety, but from which he rarely leaves. With little view of the outside world, he conjures up ghosts and scenarios. But over time, Mariana brings the boy out and in doing so transforms his life.

Putin's Obsession: The Fight For Ukraine(2022)

A profile of Putin, exploring his complicated relationship with Ukraine. Why does this neighbouring nation threaten his power and identity?

Kuban Cossacks. And Already Two Hundred Years...(1992)

A documentary about the history of Ukrainian Cossacks in the Kuban.

Region of Heroes(2022)

Film reconstruction of five real stories about the heroic deeds of the residents of Kyiv region during the Russian occupation. A story about those who heroically and selflessly saved tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives.

Art Vs War: Banksy And C215 In Borodianka, Ukraine(2024)

In the aftermath of war-torn Borodyanka, Ukraine, powerful murals by renowned street artists Banksy and C215 appear on the war-damaged buildings, inspiring a group of young Italian restorers to preserve these symbols of hope and resilience, that represent the transformative power of art.

The Guide(2014)

American boy Peter and blind minstrel Ivan are thrown together by fate amidst the turbulent mid-30s Soviet Ukraine.

Grandmother Told Grandmother(2018)

The little-known story of Ukrainian children torn from their homes in the crush between the Nazi and Soviet fronts in World War II. Spending their childhood as refugees in Europe, these inspiring individuals later immigrated to the United States, creating new homes and communities through their grit, faith and deep belief in the importance of preserving culture.

The Traitor(2018)

1971, Odesa Film Studio. The KGB studio curator orders a re-edit of just finished movie about the events of Ukraine’s 1920s "civil war" of a young director in line with the Party’s view on the historical events. This re-editing work is entrusted to a young female editor, which consequently realizes she must protect the director’s vision and the safe-guard the truth about her country under Soviet occupation.

Dovbush(2023)

In the early eighteenth century, foreign rule means dark times for the Hutsuls of the Carpathians. The two Dovbush brothers become opryshkos - mountain outlaws. But the two brothers become enemies - one cares only about money, the other - Oleksa - fights for his people. The Carpathians are convulsed with a wave of uprisings. The aristocracy uses its military might to try to kill Dovbush and destroy his legend. But Dovbush outwits them. The desperate lords devise a devious plan and attack the invincible outlaw's Achilles heel - his love for his childhood sweetheart, Marichka. Who will be the assassin to attack the Opryshko whose immense strength and bravery inspired folk tales? Will the lords' treacherous plan destroy the hero before he can lead his people to freedom?

Éternité(2023)

In this short film directed in the style of Andrei Tarkovsky, eternity and the downfall of the Soviet empire are explored in a deeply symbolic and poetic way. The film follows a protagonist as they traverse a desolate landscape, reflecting on the transient nature of life and the inevitability of death. Through a series of dreamlike sequences, the audience is presented with a powerful meditation on the idea of eternity, and how it can be seen in the rise and fall of empires. The film culminates in a powerful scene of the protagonist standing atop a hill, looking out at the ruins of the Soviet empire, and contemplating the eternal cycle of life and death.

Belov: A Life at Sea(2025)

The first biographical documentary film about the greatest Brazilian sailor by miles traveled. Setting sail from Salvador - Bahia - Brazil, Capital of the Blue Amazon, the Ukrainian Brazilian personality Aleixo Belov has already circumnavigated the globe five times, three of them alone, aboard a little sailboat built in his own backyard.

Weaving Way(2021)

A full, bright, and inspiring documentary about folk weaving as a part of the Ukrainian cultural heritage. Is a story about Ukrainian identity, understood through the aesthetics of various weaving products and their use in rituals. The film consists of 8 novel-episodes, each of which tells about a variety of folk weaving (“Polotno”, “Rushnyk”, “Namitka”, “Plakhta and obhortka”, “Kraika”, “Lizhnik”, “Gunia”, “Kylym”).

Stephen Fry Into Ukraine(2024)

Stephen Fry journeys to Kyiv to co-host with First Lady Olena Zelenska a conference on mental health in time of war. While there he meets artists, comedians, war widows, doctors, members of the Azov Brigade who were POW, and President Zelensky.