In response to Russia’s invasion of democratic and independent Ukraine, we're proud to offer you a free streaming selection of the best documentaries made by Ukrainian filmmakers.
While the films are presented free of charge, we encourage you to make a donation to Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Festival, who have created a fund in support of Ukrainian filmmakers on the frontlines.
Programmers' Statement
Hot Docs stands with Ukraine. We stand with our colleagues and our friends under siege. Our duty is to strengthen artists sacrificing safety to witness and to communicate their reality with the wider world.
With this series of films, we hope to bring awareness not simply to the Ukrainian reality, but also to fundraise for an important cause. Our colleagues at
Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Festival have created a fund to supply technical equipment, facilities, filmmaking resources and medical supplies to the Ukrainian filmmakers who are actively bearing witness to this war. We hope you will consider donating the price of a ticket to their efforts. You can learn more
here.
For the past 29 years, Hot Docs has charted the growth of Ukraine’s independence, seeing films about a former region of USSR become independent submissions from Ukrainian filmmakers, producers and distributors about their country and people. From lyrical portraits of post-Soviet rebuilding to intimate portraits of women on the front line, and to the intersectionality of modern war, these stories are vibrant, captivating, and showcase a resilient people repairing their nation. It's difficult to be an artist in a country where culture has always come second to survival for more than a century. This is why Hot Docs has proudly showcased the artistic and political expression of preeminent and rising Ukrainian artists for three decades and we must ensure these voices can tell their stories to the world in the decades to come.
We hope you’ll discover – or re-discover – these films about the country, culture and people of Ukraine made by its artists. New titles will be added each month, so check back often. We hope you’ll keep the dialogue going, by absorbing these stories, learning about the war and helping those Ukrainians documenting the truth.
Justice and peace for all.
With gratitude,
Olena Decock, Manager, Funds & Labs at Hot Docs
Myrocia Watamaniuk, Hot Docs Senior International Programmer