The Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF) marks its second year featuring a lineup of nine feture films and documentaries, plus a new screening of family-friendly animated shorts. This year’s festival showcases a full range of work by award-winning, contemporary filmmakers.
Roman Lysiak, founder of TUFF, shares “TUFF brings award-winning Ukrainian cinema to Canadian audiences. In our second year of programming, we are thrilled to build on last year’s success. With our newly established relationships in the Ukrainian film industry, we can present a larger slate of award-winning features including an exciting collection of animated shorts, an Oscar-shortlisted documentary, and even a steamy historical drama.”
Hye’s Picks at TUFF 2024
April 5, 6:30 PM
I Work at the Cemetery | Directed by Alexey Taranenko
A cynical, 35-year old Sasha manages tombstone installations at a local cemetery. This dark comedy follows Sasha as he interacts with eccentric customers, cemetery bandits, and his own daring teenage daughter. I Work at the Cemetery has received major awards and nominations, including Best Actor at the 2021 Ukrainian Film Critics Awards.
April 6, 11:00 AM
A Collection of 10 Short Animated Films
Co-presented with the Linoleum Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival in Kyiv. A new addition for TUFF 2024, The Linoleum Festival celebrates Ukrainian contemporary animation and media artists, and is presently running its 11th annual competition. These films are quirky, funny, and contemplative, shedding light on unique Ukrainian talent. A wonderful collection of short films that is certain to delight children and adults alike.
April 6, 6:00 PM
Klondike | Directed by Maryna Er Gorbach
This film won awards at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival and was the official submission of Ukraine for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category of the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. Klondike is the story of a Ukrainian family trapped at the epicentre of the MH17 crash site which occurred July 17, 2014. Irka and Anatoly are expecting their first child when Russian forces brutally invade their lives. The juxtaposition of a soon-to-be-mother’s need to nest and an invading military force manifests in Irka’s stoic character.
April 7, 4:00 PM
Valeria Is Getting Married (Valeria Mithatenet) | Directed by Michal Vinik
Co-presented with the Odesa International Film Festival and the TJFF Toronto Jewish Film Festival. This award-winning drama had its North American premiere at TIFF 2022. The story follows two Ukrainian sisters who decide to marry through online arranged marriages. The film opens a window into the nuances and complexity of such arrangements, as well as the precarity of the sisters’ positions as recent immigrants and the power dynamics within such relationships.
April 7, 7:00 PM
We Will Not Fade Away (2023) | Directed by Alisa Kovalenko
This documentary follows five teenagers living in the Donbas region. It’s a portrait of a generation that persists, of young people able to recognize and celebrate the fragile beauty of life. This documentary premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, and won Best Film at the 2023 Docudays UA International Documentary Human Rights Film Festival.
TUFF will take place at Toronto’s Royal Cinema from April 4 to 7, 2024. Festival details and tickets are available at tuff.film.
All proceeds from TUFF 2024 go to the Second Front Ukraine Foundation and the humanitarian work of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
