The Berlinale has announced the full program of this year’s film festival, which will take place from February 12 to 22. The Panorama Dokumente section will feature ‘Traces’, a new film by Ukrainian directors Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk. In addition, two other Ukrainian films have been selected for the Retrospective program and the Berlinale Classics category
About the film ‘Traces’
The documentary by the directors tells the story of Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence committed by russian soldiers during the full-scale invasion. Despite their trauma, the film’s six protagonists ‘came together to resist and demand accountability’.
The film is based on the personal experience of director Alisa Kovalenko and the testimonies of the SEMA Ukraine community.
‘Traces’ was produced by Olha Bregman and Natalia Libet through their production company 2Brave Productions (‘Timestamp’). The film was acquired by the French broadcaster ARTE France while still in production.
‘This [selection for the Berlinale] is not only a show of support for the Ukrainian team working under the conditions of war, but also an opportunity to be heard far beyond Ukraine — to speak to a broad European audience with a story that calls for attention, empathy, and justice, — Olga and Natalia say. — It is a sign that the world is ready to listen, and that Ukrainian women are not left alone with their experiences. Their stories are becoming part of Europe’s shared memory’.
In 2018, another film by Marysia Nikitiuk, ‘When the Trees Fall’, was already presented in the Panorama Dokumente section. Meanwhile, Alisa Kovalenko’s film ‘We Will Not Fade Away’, which explores the coming of age of teenagers in eastern Ukraine, was featured in the Berlinale Generation 14+ program in 2023.
Other Ukrainian films in the Berlinale program
The Berlinale Classics section will screen ‘Crystal Palace’ (1934) by Ukrainian director Hryhorii Hrycher. Influenced by German Expressionist cinema and the Ukrainian avant-garde movement, the political drama tells the story of a young architect who sides with the working class and joins the struggle against social injustice.
The retrospective program of the Berlinale will include ‘Decay’ (1990), a film by Mykhailo Bielikov. Focusing on the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the film not only documents the consequences of the tragedy but also exposes the failures of the Soviet authorities, who systematically concealed the scale and impact of the accident for a long time.
Check out the full Berlinale 2026 program here.
