Is it possible to return to a normal life after being broken by war? The unseen damage inflicted by war on personal relationships pushes war veteran Serhiy away from his family. Haunted by loss and war, he battles to reconnect with his wife, Nadiia, and their three sons, Sasha (11), Artem (8) and Nikita (3).
Director of Photography Lesia Diak
Editing Andrei Gorgan
Screenplay Lesia Diak
Producers Lesia Diak, Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Elena Martin
Sound Designer Sebastian Zsemlye
End Credits Composer Margaryta Kulichova
Co-Producer Hrvoje Osvadić
Poster Design Dasha Podoltseva
AUDIO: Ukrainian
SUBTITLE: Romanian, English
05
April,
Saturday
Cinema Union
3:30 PM
78'
07
April,
Monday
Cinema Elvire Popesco - Institutul Francez
6:00 PM
78'
Followed by Q&A with the director
Lesia Diak
Lesia Diak
Lesia Diak is a Ukrainian film director and producer. Her internationally-awarded short films explore themes of genuine human connections, inner conflict, trauma and healing. She established DramaFree, a film production company dedicated to creating author-driven movies.
Filmography:
Dad’s Lullaby, 78 min, 2024, Ukraine, Romania, Croatia
Wounds, short film, 24 min, 2024 Ukraine, Hungary, Belgium, Portugal
Under the Wing of A Night, short film, 19 min, 2023 Ukraine, Belgium, Belgium, Portugal
Joszef In Autumn, short film, 12 min, 2022 Hungary, Belgium, Portugal
Awards: Honorable mention for the best feature length debut at Doclisboa
Director, DOP, editor, producer
Awards: Best Documentary, Zlin Film Festival (Czech Republic)
Director, DOP, editor, producer
Co-director, Sound recordist
awards and festivals
Sarajevo Film Festival, Documentary Competition, 18 August 2024
Doclisboa International Film Festival, where the director received a Special Mention for Best First Feature Film – the NEW TALENT TVCINE CHANNELS AWARD, 2024
Dharamshala International Film Festival, 2024
Fipadoc International documentary film festival, International competition, 2025
Doc Fortnight, the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) annual international festival of nonfiction films in New York, 2025
Artdocfest in Riga, International competition, 2025
Millenium Documentary Film Festival, International competition, 2025
A gay woman from Romania fights for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages, joining 21 other couples in a historic case at the European Court of Human Rights. The trial tests the couple’s relationship, documenting their emotional journey in the battle against the state and its consequences, in a deeply personal cinematic portrait.
Cast Anelise Sălan, Ivona Sălan, Iustina Ionescu, Teodora Rotaru, Gheorghe Sălan, Victor Ciobotaru, Florin Buhuceanu
AUDIO: Romanian
SUBTITLE: English
07
April,
Monday
Cinema Elvire Popesco - Institutul Francez
8:30 PM
99'
Followed by Q&A with the director
Anelise Sălan
Anelise Sălan
Anelise Sălan is a Romanian filmmaker and PhD student in Communication Studies at the University of Bucharest. She worked in television for 12 years at PRO TV before transitioning to freelance cinematography. She also organizes educational workshops in rural areas.
The Blockade is a unique view from within on the most massive, longest, and politically most significant student protest in the country since 1971, that started in April of 2009 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. The rebellion spread onto more than 20 faculties across the country and the students became an active and relevant political subject.
Cinematography Đuro Gavran, Eva Kraljević, Igor Bezinović, Haris Berbić