These four short films made by Mariupol localsshow life in the city before the invasion. It consists of four short films . These are stories of everyday life, dreams, and relationships. And how they were influenced by the first phase of the war in 2014. In Me and Mariupol a Donetsk-born director Piotr Armianovski is talking to people in search of the Mariupol he remembers from his childhood. Ma, by Maria Stoianova is a conversation between a mother and daughter created from amateur phone footage in the face of war. Territory of Empty Windows and Diorama by Mariupol-born Zoya Laktionova explore how the war has changed the face of the city. (Total runtime: 49 min)

Presented by the Ryder Film Series.

TOLOKA  Toloka is inspired by Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko’s 19^th century romantic ballad. When Catherine’s lover is taken away, she vows to rescue him. Catherine is beautiful and surrounded by suitors. She informs her admirers that she will marry whichever of them brings back her brother, who is secretly her lover in disguise. The poem and the film are inextricably linked to the history of Ukraine and the concept of forming a national identity.. Directed by Mykhailo Illienko. (110 min)

Presented by the Ryder Film Series.

THE CACOPHONY OF DONBAS  This film takes a hard look at the Kremlin’s disinformation playbook and shatters the “myth of the Donbas” — Russia’s official version of atrocities in Donbas, a region in Ukraine. One such myth: following the fabrication of a “crucified boy,” circulated by the pro-Kremlin media back2014, there have been wild allegations of Ukrainian armed forces organizing “human safaris” where rich Westerners could allegedly buy the right to kill civilians in Donbas. The film uses archival footage and recordings of interviews with former Donbas residents who witnessed Russian aggression and became its victims. Life promised to become a symphony of work, joy and welfare. Instead, the symphony of the Donbas turned into a cacophony of the Donbas. Directed by Ihor Minaiev. Introduced by Stanislav Menzelevskyl*

Presented by the Ryder Film Series.