This selection features seven Ukrainian films, from the silent 1930 film to the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, which won an Oscar. They differ in genre and mood, and several of them are hard to watch because they deal with war. We explain what each film is about and which festivals honored it.
Facts about the films come from Wikipedia pages checked on October 14, 2026. We don’t give our own ratings. Each film has a card on our site with its main details: director, cast, genres and running time.
Earth
A silent film about collectivization in a Ukrainian village and the hostility it provokes among wealthier landowners. Earth is the third film in Dovzhenko’s so-called “Ukrainian trilogy”, together with Zvenyhora and Arsenal. According to Wikipedia, the film is considered a masterpiece of its director and one of the most outstanding films in cinema history: at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels it placed tenth on the list known as the “Brussels 12”.
Who it’s for: for those who want to see silent cinema and visual poetry.
Earth1930 · dramaWhere to watch and the card →Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
The story of young Hutsuls in the Carpathians, divided by a blood feud between their families. The film is based on Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky’s 1911 novella. For Paradzhanov it was his first major work, and it brought him international recognition thanks to its lavish costumes and color. Wikipedia calls it the best-known Ukrainian film in the world and a classic of Ukrainian magical realism.
Who it’s for: for those interested in folklore and an unusual visual style.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors1965 · dramaWhere to watch and the card →The Tribe
The story takes place in a boarding school for deaf teenagers, where a new student arrives and is drawn into a criminal system. The entire film is shot in Ukrainian Sign Language, with no subtitles and no spoken dialogue; Hryhoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova and Roza Babiy star. In 2014 the film won the top prize of Critics’ Week in Cannes, along with two other awards in the section: the Visionary Award and the Support for Distribution prize. Wikipedia calls it the first Ukrainian film to be released in many countries around the world.
Who it’s for: for those ready for an experiment: the story is told through gestures and images.
The Tribe2014 · crimeWhere to watch and the card →Atlantis
The story is set in the near future, after a war with Russia: a former soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder tries to learn to live again in eastern Ukraine. The roles are played by non-professional actors: veterans, volunteers and soldiers. The film won the Horizons section of the 2019 Venice Film Festival, and Ukraine submitted it for the Oscars, although the film did not receive a nomination.
Who it’s for: for those ready for slow, visually restrained cinema about the aftermath of war.
Atlantis2019 · dramaWhere to watch and the card →Klondike
A couple expecting their first child lives in the village of Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, near the Russian border. On July 17, 2014, debris from the downed passenger Boeing, flight MH17, falls nearby. Maryna Er Gorbach wrote the script and edited the film herself. At Sundance in 2022 she won the directing award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition, and at the Berlinale the film placed second in the audience ranking of the Panorama section.
Who it’s for: for those who want to see how war enters ordinary life.
Klondike2022 · dramaWhere to watch and the card →Pamfir
A former smuggler returns to his native village in western Ukraine and wants to earn an honest living, but an incident involving his teenage son pulls him back into the criminal world; the events take place in Bukovina on the eve of the Malanka carnival. The world premiere took place on May 22, 2022, in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film won the top prize at the Cairo International Film Festival and the Grand Prix of the Kyiv festival Molodist, and The Guardian named it among the best films of 2023.
Who it’s for: for those who love crime dramas about life on the border.
Pamfir2022 · dramaWhere to watch and the card →20 Days in Mariupol
A documentary made from footage shot in the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The world premiere took place at Sundance in 2023, where the film won in the World Cinema Documentary competition. Ukraine submitted it for the Oscar as an international feature, but the film received its nomination in the documentary category, and it won there; it also received a BAFTA and a Directors Guild of America award. It was shown at the opening of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
Who it’s for: for those ready for a very hard documentary testimony about the war.
20 Days in Mariupol2023 · documentaryWhere to watch and the card →Where these films were recognized
For each award we took the name of the festival and the section from Wikipedia pages. We draw no conclusions of our own about the “best” ones; we only record facts.
| Festival or award | Film | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Cannes, Critics’ Week | The Tribe | top prize, 2014 |
| Venice, Horizons section | Atlantis | best film of the section, 2019 |
| Sundance, World Cinema Dramatic competition | Klondike | directing award, 2022 |
| Berlinale, Panorama section | Klondike | second place in the audience ranking |
| Cannes, Directors’ Fortnight | Pamfir | world premiere on May 22, 2022 |
| Sundance, World Cinema Documentary competition | 20 Days in Mariupol | win, 2023 |
| 96th Academy Awards | 20 Days in Mariupol | Best Documentary Feature |
This list shows that Ukrainian films have regularly made it into the programs of major festivals in recent years, and some of them have won awards there.
How to choose Ukrainian cinema to watch
All seven films are very different, so it’s best to choose by mood and by how ready you are for the subject.
| What you feel like | What to pick |
|---|---|
| Classics and visual poetry | Earth, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors |
| An unusual format | The Tribe |
| A film about life after war | Atlantis |
| A story about the start of the war in Donbas | Klondike |
| A crime drama about a village | Pamfir |
| A documentary testimony | 20 Days in Mariupol |
Looking for something lighter and not about war? We have a selection of animated films for the whole family: films for any evening and any age.
Tip. The Tribe has no subtitles and no spoken dialogue, so watch it with your phone out of reach: the story is told through gestures. For Klondike, Atlantis and 20 Days in Mariupol, pick a time when you are ready for a heavy subject.
Frequently asked questions
Have Ukrainian films won awards at major festivals?
Yes. The Tribe won the top prize of Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2014, Atlantis won the Horizons section in Venice, Klondike received a directing award at Sundance, and 20 Days in Mariupol won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Which film is a good first introduction?
If you like films about contemporary events, try Pamfir or Klondike. If you want a classic, try Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.
Are any of these films made without dialogue?
Yes. The Tribe is shot in Ukrainian Sign Language with no subtitles and no spoken dialogue, and Earth is a silent film.
Where can I watch these films?
Streaming catalogs change, so we don’t list them. According to Wikipedia, Pamfir was available on Netflix from June 22, 2023, but availability depends on the country and the time. Check the film’s page on a service available to you.
Sources
- Earth (1930 film) (Wikipedia)
- Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Wikipedia)
- The Tribe (2014 film) (Wikipedia)
- Pamfir (Wikipedia)
- 20 Days in Mariupol (Wikipedia)
Data was checked against live Wikipedia pages on October 14, 2026.
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