by FilmInk Staff
The second edition of the international film award brought filmmakers from 42 countries to Ukraine for screenings, professional dialogue, educational programmes and special events devoted to cinema, human resilience, memory and the experience of war.
From 11 to 15 September 2026, Ukraine hosted the second edition of the MYTH Social Impact Film Award, an international film award and cultural platform created to amplify the voices of filmmakers and artists standing in solidarity with Ukraine.
The five-day programme was presented as a national tour across Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Kyiv, bringing together filmmakers, producers, critics, students, educators, veterans, active-duty service members and cultural institutions from Ukraine and abroad.
The scale of the second edition reflected its growing international character: the organisers received 983 film submissions from 42 countries, from which 85 feature-length and short fiction, documentary and animated films were selected for the programme. The films addressed war, human rights, justice, civilian life, resistance, memory and the fundamental human desire to continue living despite violence and loss.
The central theme of the second edition was “Love Life — Despite Everything.”
It reflected the idea behind the award that stories about war do not have to be limited to destruction and trauma. Ukraine is also a country of people who continue to love, create, study, raise children, make films, defend their communities and imagine a future. The organisers sought to bring together dramatic, documentary, animated and human stories that explore life not only through the experience of war, but through the resilience that makes life possible.
A film award created around Ukraine’s experience
The MYTH Social Impact Film Award was established as an international platform for films dealing with the most urgent social and humanitarian realities of the present. Its focus includes films about the war in Ukraine, civilians living in areas affected by fighting, social justice, human rights violations, resistance to Russian propaganda and works that document the human consequences of war.
The award is organised by the MYTH Foundation, a Ukrainian non-profit and non-political cultural institution working internationally through cinema and the arts. The foundation’s stated mission is to promote Ukraine internationally, support Ukrainian cultural production during wartime, develop cultural diplomacy and build long-term cooperation between Ukrainian and international cultural and film institutions.
The foundation currently works through a network of representatives and partners in the United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany, the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland and Canada, while maintaining its permanent centre in Ivano-Frankivsk.
The story of MYTH began in November 2025, when the first edition of the award brought together participants from 33 countries. The award’s central symbol, “Madonna with Child in a Shelter,” became a travelling symbol of the initiative, finding a place in cultural communities and among filmmakers in cities including London, Rome, Berlin, Paris, Istanbul, Warsaw, New York, Delhi, Toronto and Kramatorsk.
The second edition continued this international approach while expanding the programme inside Ukraine.
From Estonia to Germany and the United Kingdom
The international section of the 2026 programme included dedicated national spotlights presented with partners from Estonia, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The Estonian focus was curated by Marian Vosumets, a producer and director, member of the European Film Academy and head of development at Cuba Films in Estonia.
The German focus was presented with the participation of Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, one of Germany’s established film education institutions.
The British focus was curated by Margo Omirова, a Ukrainian-British filmmaker, cinematographer and producer, and a recipient of the Grand Prix of the first edition of the MYTH
Social Impact Film Award.
These country-focused programmes were designed not simply as screenings, but as a platform for dialogue between Ukrainian and European filmmakers and for the development of future professional partnerships.
When veterans become part of the film conversation
One of the distinctive features of the MYTH award is the involvement of Ukrainian veterans and active-duty service members in the evaluation and discussion of films dealing with war.
The organisers deliberately invited people with direct military experience into the cultural and professional context of the award. Their role was intended to add another layer of perspective to films that depict war — a perspective based not only on professional film criticism, but on lived experience.
The programme also created opportunities for direct conversations between filmmakers and people who have experienced the war themselves.
For MYTH, this model is part of a broader effort to create a dialogue between culture and military experience and to contribute to the reintegration of veterans into civilian life through meaningful participation in cultural processes.
The international jury was chaired by Serhii Bordeniuk, President of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, and brought together Ukrainian and European film professionals. Among the jury members were Ukrainian film critic and scholar Serhii Trymbach, German filmmaker and documentary journalist Till Passow, Estonian producer Marian Vosumets, Ukrainian-British filmmaker Margo Omirова, film critic Oleksandr Husiyev and Ukrainian service member and poet Yara Chornohuz.
Cinema as an instrument of memory
One of the central programmes of MYTH is “Cinema of Memory”, a special non-competitive section dedicated to Ukrainian filmmakers who were killed while defending their country.
The programme brings together films created by their teams, relatives of the fallen filmmakers and former colleagues. Its purpose is not only to honour those who died, but also to preserve their creative legacy and to place their work within Ukraine’s contemporary cultural memory.
During the 2026 tour, screenings and memorial events took place in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Kyiv.
The programme commemorated filmmakers including Stanislav Prytula, Oleh Bobalo-Yaremchuk, Ruslan Hanushchak and Serhii Sylkin, all of whom combined careers in Ukrainian cinema with service to their country.
“Cinema of Memory” therefore serves a dual purpose: it is both a memorial initiative and an archival and educational project, ensuring that the contribution of Ukrainian filmmakers who died in the war remains part of the country’s cultural history.
A forum connecting Ukrainian and European cinema
The award also included an open International Film Forum, bringing together filmmakers, students, educators, veterans and international experts.
The programme included panel discussions, round tables, lectures, masterclasses, professional presentations and special screenings. Participants from 42 countries were represented across the broader programme.
The educational component was particularly focused on young people and students of creative disciplines, creating opportunities to connect emerging Ukrainian filmmakers with European professionals and institutions.
Among the educational partners were Carpathian National University Vasyl Stefanyk, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television named after Ivan Karpenko-Karyi, Tallinn University and Baltic Film, Media & Art School.
Beyond cinema: children affected by war
The social impact component of the MYTH Foundation extends beyond the film award itself.
For four years, the foundation has supported children at the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Centre for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation of Children, where a special animation programme, “MYTHs for Children,” was presented as part of the award’s 2026 programme.
The programme also included “While We Are Children,” a documentary photography exhibition by photographer Dmytro Petryna, dedicated to children affected by the war and orphaned children.
The exhibition was organised with the support of the MYTH Foundation, the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council and Amnesty International Ukraine. Following the Ukrainian tour, the organisers plan to present the exhibition internationally in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar.
In this way, the organisers aim to use cinema and visual culture not only to tell stories, but also to create longer-term networks of support around Ukrainian children affected by the war.
A special tribute to Sergei Parajanov
The programme also featured a special presentation of the exhibition “The World of Sergei Parajanov,” created with Ukrainian and Armenian cultural partners.
The project brought together the Ivano-Frankivsk branch of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, the Armenian Society of Cultural Relations “AOKS-Ukraine,” members of the Armenian diaspora and the Ivano-Frankivsk regional organisation of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine.
The inclusion of Parajanov’s legacy placed the contemporary discussion around Ukrainian and European cinema within a wider historical and cultural context.
The 2026 winners
The international selection brought together filmmakers from 42 countries. Among the participating productions were projects from Spain, France, Mexico, United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Canada, Georgia, Qatar, United States, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Greece, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Malta, Moldova, Lithuania, Hungary, Czech, Austria, Switzerland, Israel, Ghana, South Korea, Taiwan, Nigeria, Venezuela, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ukraine. The second MYTH Social Impact Film Award recognised both Ukrainian and international filmmakers.
The Grand Prix for Best Ukrainian Film was awarded to “ALIVE”, directed by Vladlen Odudenko.
The Grand Prix for Best International Film went to “Over the Waves”, directed by Horacio Alcalá, a co-production of Spain, France and Mexico.
Among the other award-winning projects were:
“Weight of the Soul” by Maria Springis (United Kingdom), recipient of the special “Friend of Ukraine” award;
“Palianytsia” by Taras Kadimov and Yulia Bolshynska (Ukraine), winner of the Best National Documentary Film award and the special “Voice of Ukraine” award;
“Room Number” by Silvia Lorenzi (Estonia), recognised for Best International Directing and Best Editing;
“Come Back” by Anton Proza (Ukraine), a project of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar,” recognised for Best National Directing, Best Sound Design and Best Actor;
and “Etched in Memory” by Kristina Pashin, a Qatar–United Kingdom–Ukraine production, recognised as Best International Documentary Film.
The awards also recognised filmmakers from Canada, Georgia, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, reflecting the geographical diversity of the programme.
Building a long-term international platform
MYTH Social Impact Film Award is designed not only as an annual competition, but as a growing international network linking Ukrainian cinema with filmmakers, producers, educators, cultural institutions and audiences abroad.
Its model combines film competition, cultural diplomacy, education, social impact, memory and international cooperation.
The organisers see the development of national spotlights, international partnerships and future events in partner countries as an important part of the award’s long-term strategy.
The second edition of the award was organised by the MYTH Foundation in cooperation with the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine and its Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv branches.
Institutional partners included the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, Lviv City Council, Lviv Regional Military Administration, Amnesty International Ukraine, Cuba Films (Estonia), Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg (Germany) and Armenian cultural organisations in Ukraine. Educational and professional partners included Ukrainian and European film and academic institutions.
The MYTH Foundation describes the project as part of a broader effort to ensure that Ukrainian cinema is not isolated by war, but remains connected to international cultural and professional networks.
In a country fighting for its survival, the organisers argue, culture is not a secondary activity. It is one of the ways a society documents its experience, protects its memory, communicates with the outside world and continues to imagine a future.
That is the idea behind the second MYTH Social Impact Film Award:
Love life — despite everything.
