The documentary ‘Homecoming’, directed by filmmaking duo Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei (‘Zarvanytsia’, ‘Additional Scenes’), has been shortlisted for Best Short Film at the European Film Awards. The list also includes Mykyta Lyskov’s animated film ‘Kyiv Cake’ and Mykola Zasieiev’s comedy ‘Easter Day’
The nominees for the European Film Academy Awards, often referred to as the ‘European Oscars’, will be announced on 14 November this year, while the winners will be revealed on 16 January 2027 at the 39th awards ceremony in Athens.
About ‘Homecoming’
The short film by Malashchuk and Khimei tells the story of a young man who left Ukraine at the start of the full-scale invasion and returns several years later — not in person, but via a robotic dog that he controls remotely from his room.
Despite his remote presence and the unstable video signal, the young man manages to reconnect with his native Khortytsia Island and his memories of it.
The directors explain that the film explores technology as a means of reconnection, while the robotic dog takes on a new meaning, as such devices are primarily used by the Ukrainian military for reconnaissance.
‘For us, this is not just a film, but also a gesture: an insistence that connection continues despite the rupture, that distance cannot erase belonging, and that imagination and art remain powerful tools for preserving identity’.
The film had its Ukrainian premiere in June at Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. From 27 March to 12 September 2026, it was also part of the international exhibition ‘Joy’ at PinchukArtCentre.
In addition, ‘Homecoming’ won the top prize at the Lviv International Short Film Festival Wiz-Art, whose 17th edition took place from 22 to 27 September.
About ‘Easter Day’
‘Easter Day’, a Ukrainian-French co-production, was directed by Mykola Zasieiev and is based on the real-life experience of the director’s friend, screenwriter Illia Volynets-Tryfonov.
The film’s events unfold on Easter Sunday, when two servicemen from a military recruitment centre drive through the streets of Kyiv in search of men of mobilisation age. Eventually, they stop a young man named Sashko, who asks them to buy food for his cat before taking him to a military base.
About ‘Kyiv Cake’
‘Kyiv Cake’, a Ukrainian-Estonian animated film by Mykyta Lyskov, focuses on the life of a poor Ukrainian family in present-day Ukraine, particularly the birth of a child. ‘The parents do everything possible to survive, but just when the crisis reaches its peak, a new danger flares up’, reads the synopsis.
Lyskov says the film was inspired by ‘the feelings and emotions that emerged from experiencing life under the extreme conditions’ of the full-scale Russian invasion.
