Barbican London to Showcase Ukrainian Cinema from 1929 to Today — UNITED24 Media

From September 29 to October 2, London’s Barbican Centre  will host a series of screenings highlighting Ukrainian cinema, presenting works that span different eras of the country’s history.

The program features Mikhail Kaufman’s In Spring (1929), Maria Stoyanova’s Fragments of Ice, and a selection of short films exploring Ukraine’s queer community during the ongoing war.

Barbican describes the program as a kind of cinematic archive, offering “a way to preserve the past and reflect on the present.”

Featured Screenings

In Spring by Mikhail Kaufman is a documentary created according to the avant-garde “cinema-eye” theory. The film captures Kyiv in 1929, focusing on the city’s awakening and renewal. The camera lingers on smiling faces and everyday life, painting a lyrical portrait of the capital. Ranked 15th among the 100 greatest films in Ukrainian cinema history, In Spring will be introduced by film critic Sonya Vseliubska.

Maria Stoyanova’s Fragments of Ice will screen in the UK for the first time. The film draws on her father’s video archive—he was a figure skater in the Ukrainian ensemble Ballet on Ice who toured internationally in the 1980s and 1990s. Stoyanova also narrates the film, which has participated in the international feature competition at Visions du Réel and won the top prize in the DOCU/UKRAINE competition at Docudays UA.

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Queer Short Film Program

On the final day of the Ukrainian program, Barbican will partner with the Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ festival Sunny Bunny to present three short films:

Simeiz by Anton Shebetko, a collage about an underground gay resort on Crimea’s southern coast. Originally a spot for nudists in the 1970s–80s, it later became a key meeting place for the LGBTQ+ community.

Before Curfew by Angelika Ustymenko, following two queer individuals who meet on a train and decide to step off at a Kyiv stop. As explosions ring out, they explore intimacy, resilience, and loss in a harsh reality.

What Will You Do if the War Continues? by Vladyslav Plisetskiy, examining societal changes, political narratives, and personal transformation during the war. Drawing on his own biography and artistic performances, Plisetsky reflects on the evolving Ukrainian queer community. This film is the second installment of a trilogy begun before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Tickets for all screenings are available on the Barbican website.

Previously, it was reported that Ukrainian filmmaker Valentyn Vasyanovych’s new feature For Victory! triumphed in the Platform competition of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, marking a historic first for Ukraine.

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