Molodist film festival opens in Kyiv with 120 films
The 55th edition showcases films from 50 countries until 1 November.
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The 55th edition of the international Molodist film festival opened in Kyiv on Saturday. The programme includes 120 films from 50 countries, including Ukrainian and international premieres.
The opening ceremony took place at Kyiv’s National Academic Operetta Theatre. The festival runs from 24 October to 1 November inclusive and uses venues including the Zhovten cinema and the House of Cinema.
The organisation is presenting a programme of debut films, student films, documentaries, feature films and experimental productions. It also includes films previously shown at festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Locarno.
The opening film is the Ukrainian tragicomedy ‘Zhytye’ by Jevhen Matvijenko. According to reports, the film consists of six stories about the daily lives of Ukrainians during the full-scale war.
Molodist is regarded as an important platform for young filmmakers and international debuts. The competition includes student films, short films and first features; there are also national and non-competitive programmes.
The festival is taking place in Kyiv while Ukraine continues to be affected by the war. The organisation has therefore also introduced a special rate for military personnel; the precise security measures surrounding individual screenings are not described in the sources consulted.
For Dutch readers, the opening is particularly relevant as a signal of the position of Ukraine’s film sector. Despite the war, Kyiv remains an international meeting place for filmmakers, jury members and audiences. The sources give no indication that Dutch productions or institutions are playing a particularly prominent role this year.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts were confirmed by the festival organisation and two independent Ukrainian news sources. Unsupported details about security measures and Dutch participation have been explicitly omitted.
- confirmed The 55th edition of Molodist opened in Kyiv on 24 October 2026. — Confirmed by Ukrinform and Hromadske. source
- confirmed The festival runs from 24 October to 1 November 2026 inclusive. — Listed on the official festival website. source
- confirmed The programme includes 120 films from 50 countries. — Mentioned by Ukrinform in its report on the opening. source
- confirmed ‘Zhytye’ is the opening film and was directed by Jevhen Matvijenko. — Confirmed by Hromadske and Ukrinform. source
- confirmed The film consists of six stories about the lives of Ukrainians during the full-scale war. — Description in reports by Hromadske and Ukrinform. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the festival opened in Kyiv on 24 October and runs until 1 November. The sources consulted mention 120 films from 50 countries; the official festival website confirms the dates and edition, but the page viewed does not provide a separate total. Further information on security arrangements and Dutch participation was unavailable.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „film filmfestival”
- NOS — „film filmfestival”
- Het Parool — „film filmfestival”