A National Competition Program has been formed for Doc Kyiv Fest, a film festival of medium-length spectator documentary films, which will take place in Kyiv from March 28 to March 30, 1+1 Media announced.

It included six films, the selection of which was carried out by a selection committee consisting of Oleksiy Gladushevskyi, Serhiy Zlenko, Anna Palenchuk, Volodymyr Tykhyy.

Dear Odesa is directed by Kyrylo Naumko: Fearing that he will lose touch with his hometown, Kirill visits Odesa again. In conversations with his mother and childhood friend, Odesa residents Olha and Nikita, the hero tries to find out what “home” means to him. What was life like in Odesa just five days before the start of a full-scale war? After all, it takes a lot of courage to live everyday life knowing that your country could be attacked at any time.

Fortress Mariupol. Simon is directed by Yuliia Hontaruk: Oleh "Simon" Krisenkom from Mykolaiv was an actor and played in a children's theater, and in 2014, with the beginning of the war, he immediately joined the volunteer battalion. In 2022, together with other defenders of Mariupol, he ended up in Azovstal, and then in captivity, from which he returned a year later. Now the guy is undergoing rehabilitation. The film is part of the ‘Fortress Mariupol’ series about the soldiers who defended Mariupol in complete encirclement for 86 days.

Homeland on the move is directed by Volodymyr Bakum: When the war begins, two Ukrainian women find themselves in Europe. 45-year-old Tetiana lives in Poznan and works in a pasta shop while studying the language. Meanwhile, 29-year-old Alyona, whose husband defends Ukraine, settles down in Weidenberg, forcing herself to learn German as a distraction.

Lines is directed by Hanna Trofimova: Three different stories of people from the LGBT community are united by one common line of war. Konstiantin, a volunteer and activist from Zaporizhzhia, remained in his hometown. Yulia and Inna left Irpin for Berlin. Kharkiv photographer Viktor and his parents became internally displaced persons. But no matter what decision was made, the war in any case left a mark on the lives of heroes.

My Dad is a Lightning Researcher is directed by Iryna Shostak: The film-reflection is an attempt by the daughter to remember the “universe of dad,” a lightning researcher, which, as it turned out after his death, was only half known. The author makes an attempt to understand how long the memory of people who meant something to us lasts.

When Will the Winter of 2022 End? is directed by Hanna Trofimova: In the film, the author records what happened at the beginning of a full-scale war, reflecting his feelings in the new conditions of reality. The tape consists of videos that Hanna filmed during three months of a full-scale war, and her diary entries.

“Over these two years, we have seen a certain number of documentaries that primarily appeal to international audiences not to stay left behind. When forming the festival’s competitive program, we tried to select films with unique voices and a personal view of modern reality, which will resonate primarily with the Ukrainian audience,” noted Serhiy Zlenko, a member of the Doc Kyiv Fest selection committee.

The composition of the jury, which will determine the winner of the national competition, will be announced soon.

Doc Kyiv Fest is an annual international film festival of medium-length audience documentary films, founded by the Kinofest Public Organization. The organizing committee also included StarlightMedia and the Odesa International Film Festival. In addition to the National Competition Program the festival will include special screenings of Ukrainian and foreign medium-length documentaries, which have already been appreciated by viewers of the world's leading film festivals and platforms, and industrial events for film industry professionals.