Who won at the Molodist 2026 Film Festival?

‘Camouflag’e marks the feature-length directorial debut of Mykyta Hibalenko (‘I See Them Bloom’).

The film follows Vitalii, a 22-year-old Ukrainian who fulfills his dream of moving to Munich in 2021 and starting a new life there. However, everything changes when his mother and sister are forced to flee to Germany following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The family faces conflicts and challenges ‘that are impossible to escape, even far from the war’.

According to the director, the film’s story was inspired by his own experience of moving to Germany in 2013 and, later, his need to reconnect with his Ukrainian roots following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

‘Camouflage’ had its world premiere at Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), an independent section of the Venice Film Festival.

The Best Feature Film award in the International Competition went to ‘Filipiñana’ by Filipino director Rafael Manuel (‘102 Narra’). The comedy-drama follows up his eponymous short film, which was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlinale in 2020.

The film follows 17-year-old Isabel, who moves to Manila and takes a job as an assistant at an exclusive golf club, where she comes face-to-face with harsh exploitation, patriarchy, and deep class divides.

The Best Short Film award in the International Competition went to the French film ‘Diego’ by Melissa Silveira, which explores the relationship between a domineering Romani father and his children — his daughter Vanessa and his son Diego, who has a disability.

In the National Competition, the Scythian Deer award went to the short film ‘Open World’ by the directing duo Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk (‘Zarvanytsia’). The film follows a young boy named Yaroslav, who fled Ukraine following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. A few years later, he reconnects with his home, but remotely — through a robotic dog that he controls from his room in Poland.

Special Mentions in this category went to ‘HOME TV’ by Sophia Gera (‘Zatmara’) and ‘Fig’ by Novruz Hikmet (‘It is Quiet Here’).

The winner of the Documentary Competition was the Ukrainian film ‘War Has No Children’, the directorial debut of Dmytro Todoriuk. The film brings together four coming-of-age stories set against the backdrop of war.

The Honorary Scythian Deer award went to Ada Rohovtseva for her contribution to Ukrainian cinema, while the Audience Award went to the German drama ‘Trial of Hein’ by Kai Stänicke.

The full list of winners is available on the film festival’s website.