Chichester offers homage to Ukrainian cinema

An homage to Ukrainian cinema will be an important element to this year’s 30th Chichester International Film Festival, running at the Chichester Cinema at New Park from August 5-28.
By Phil Hewitt
Published 9th Aug 2022, 08:05 BST
Roger GibsonRoger Gibson
Roger Gibson

Artistic director Roger Gibson promises cinema which doesn’t hold back, tough films which are uncompromising in the tough situations they depict.

He admits it is a risk showing them in terms of audience numbers, but it is a risk he wants to take: “I saw some Ukrainian films in Venice before the war started, and then when the war came I thought we have got to do something about this. I hadn’t realised that so many Ukrainian films are thought of as Russian when they are in fact Ukrainian.”

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The hope is that the war might at least have the upshot of increasing our awareness of Ukrainian culture: “This is what festivals are about. There was always a concern that this was going to be the forgotten war, and that is what worries me now.”

The festival includes Forgotten Ancestors: The History of Ukrainian Cinema: an illustrated talk by Michael Brooke. Compared with Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian cinema, Ukrainian cinema is far less familiar as a separate cultural entity, a legacy derived from it being collectively regarded as Soviet cinema for much of its lifespan. Wednesday, August 17, 13:00.

Films include:

The Tribe (18). A deaf boy joins a boarding school for similar children. All the actors are deaf, and the film makes no use of any vocal language nor even subtitles, only sign language throughout. Tuesday, Aug 16, 20:30.

Reflection (18). Ukrainian surgeon Serhiy is captured by the Russian military forces in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine and while in captivity, he is exposed to horrifying scenes of humiliation, violence and indifference towards human life. Wednesday, Aug 17, 10:00.

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Earth (1930). Silent film with piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne in the Guildhall, Priory Park. This poetic silent drama is set in the peaceful countryside as Vassily opposes the rich kulaks over the coming of collective farming. Thursday, Aug 18, 21:15.

Olga (15). A 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland is working to secure a place at the country's National Sports Centre. When the Euromaidan revolt breaks out in the country, anxieties rise as her family gets involved. Friday, Aug 19, 18:30.

Man With a Movie Camera. In this experimental documentary, a man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life. Saturday, Aug 20 19:00.

Homeward (15). Writer-director Nariman Aliev reckons with generational schism and the intricacies of Ukraine’s historical-political context via a journey through sparse and beautiful landscape. Having lost the elder son on the war, Mustafa has to transfer his dead body to the homeland – Crimea. Sunday, Aug 21 18:30.

Atlantis (Adv15). Political drama. Aug 22, 10:30.