THE UKRAINIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN ALBERTA

CALGARY 10-12 APRIL 2026
EDMONTON 17-19 APRIL 2026

ABOUT

This year, the Ukrainian Film Festival in Alberta (UFFA) will showcase a selection of compelling contemporary films about Ukraine in both Edmonton and Calgary. These critically acclaimed films have received international recognition and won numerous awards.

Over two weekends, festival-goers will have the opportunity to experience some of the most outstanding works of contemporary Ukrainian cinema, highlighting powerful stories of resilience, identity, history, and cultural heritage.

The UFFA 2026 is co-organized by the Alberta Society for the Advancement of Ukrainian Studies, the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, and the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies—the latter three all at the University of Alberta. The festival is held in partnership with the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre at MacEwan University and with financial support from the Alberta Ukrainian Commemorative Society.

See our previous film schedules here: 2023 | 2024 | 2025

LOCATIONS

Calgary | Globe Cinema

Formerly the Towne Cinema, Globe Cinema has been providing Calgary with independent and art house entertainment since 1995, and is dedicated to bringing quality 1st run films as well as participating in many of the wonderful film festivals Calgary has to offer.

Edmonton | Metro Cinema at the Garneau Theatre

The Metro Cinema is housed in the historic Garneau Theatre - the oldest cinema hall in Edmonton, known for its long history and independent film screenings. This year it will host a Ukrainian Film Festival in Edmonton for the third time.

FILMS

2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025)

Film by Mstyslav Chernov

From the Oscar-winning team behind 20 Days in Mariupol, 2000 Meters to Andriivka documents the toll of the Russo-Ukrainian war from a devastating personal vantage point.

Following his historic account of the civilian toll in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov turns his lens towards Ukrainian soldiers—who they are, where they come from, and the impossible decisions they face in the trenches as they fight for every inch of their land.

Amid a failing counteroffensive in 2023, Chernov and his AP colleague, Alex Babenko, follow a Ukrainian brigade as they battle through approximately one mile of a heavily fortified forest on their mission to liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka.

Weaving together original footage, intense Ukrainian Army bodycam video, and powerful moments of reflection, 2000 Meters to Andriivka reveals, with haunting intimacy, that the farther the soldiers advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that for them, this war may never end.

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Viktor (2024)

Film by Olivier Sarbil

Viktor is a black-and-white film about a deaf young man living in Kharkiv during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Viktor dreams of becoming a warrior, loves watching samurai films and is raised on stories of war. He repeatedly attempts to enlist in the Ukrainian armed forces and is denied because of his hearing condition. Eager to find purpose, Viktor embarks on a quest to find his place in the midst of a war that he cannot hear.

The film’s sound design, paired with the black-and-white imagery, provides an experience for the viewer that reflects Viktor’s. The personal and intimate story that unfolds resonates with veteran war cinematographer OlivierSarbil’s own experience with single-sided deafness and with the Russo-Ukrainian war.

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The Editorial Office (2024)

Film by Roman Bondarchuk

Yura, a young nature researcher in southern Ukraine is on a mission to capture photos of an endangered groundhog, so that he can obtain European funding for wildlife conservation. Instead, he is met with arson. In an attempt to find justice, he records what happens and brings it to the press.

Realizing that nobody at his local newspaper cares about justice, he uncovers a whole other layer behind his society while war looms on the horizon. Fake news, rigged political elections, and mysterious cult rituals leave Yura’s idealistic outlook at a loss. On his quest, Yura is about to find out who he really is—an endangered species of a good man or just a loser?

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My Dear Théo (2025)

Film by Alisa Kovalenko

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko enlisted in an armed unit to defend her country, documenting her experience on the front line and sending heartfelt letters to her son Theo.

Alisa’s camerawork in the film is moving, courageous, and human. Handleheld/creeping shots provide authenticity and a window into the lives of soldiers on the front line. Kovalenko’s film work mainly focuses on the time between combat shifts, where extended periods of waiting can make the distance between loved ones seem vast.

‘My Dear Théo’ is a deeply personal, existential film of extraordinary courage, a moving testament to what is at stake in Ukraine.

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Two Sisters (2025)

Film by Lukasz Karwowski

Soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, two estranged sisters from Warsaw embark on a journey through war-torn Ukraine, to bring home their wounded father. Absent from each other's lives for a decade, the sisters reunite. Their meeting opens old wounds and reveals truths that were easier to forget than face.

Diving into the emotional trauma of the sisters’ reunion, director Lukasz Karwowski creates a viewing experience that makes the drama feel realistic and vivid. Along the journey, the sisters must walk, hitchhike, and travel by car through war-ravaged Ukraine, moving in and out of occupied territories, meeting and dealing with an array of characters, while navigating danger and their own relationship.

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