The "Kyiv Film Festival" will be held in collaboration with the Dovzhenko Center and the "October" cinema, celebrating Kyiv Day. The event will take place from May 22 to 26.

This year’s theme is "Kyiv Through the Ages". According to the organizers, through classic and contemporary films, viewers will explore how the image of Kyiv has transformed on screen, from medieval times to the revolutionary 1920s and the tumultuous 1990s to the Revolution of Dignity.

The opening film of the festival will be "Wild Love" (1993) by Vylen Novak, part of the Dovzhenko Center's collection. The film will be newly scanned for the festival with the support of the "October" cinema.

"Wild Love" was the box office leader in 1994 and received awards at various youth festivals.

The protagonist, Maxim, from a so-called "well-off" family, falls in love with Masha, a girl from an orphanage that reflects the "Soviet educational policy". This story could have concluded with a traditional heterosexual marriage, but the arrival of American Susan complicates matters, creating a dramatic love triangle.

"This traditional love story told in the transgressive atmosphere of the early years of independence becomes a unique documentary of the era," the Dovzhenko Center stated.

About the festival

The Kyiv Film Festival is an annual event aimed at merging cinematic art with urban identity, reactivating iconic Ukrainian films, and showcasing works that remain largely unknown to contemporary audiences.