Best Ukrainian documentary movies

We Were Recruits (2024)

A motivational documentary in an artistic style about how ordinary people become professional soldiers, find their true purpose in war and form the newest Ukrainian military culture. Based on real events and key battles of a full-scale war.

Myth (2018)

"Myth" was the callsign of Vasyl Slipak, the world-famous Ukrainian opera singer, a soloist of the Parisian National Opera, who left the big stage to become a volunteer, a warrior fighting in the East of Ukraine. The Hero of Ukraine, the Knight of the Order "Golden Star" and the Order "For Courage", Vasyl Slipak gave his life, defending Ukraine. This documentary is a real story of heroism and self-sacrifice, which makes us think over our own lives.

Ukraine: The People's Fight (2023)

Filmmaker Olly Lambert spends two months on Ukraine’s southern frontline with volunteer special forces as they begin the push to capture Kherson. The film follows “Hummer”, an experienced military commander who now finds himself a chaperone to completely inexperienced forces on the frontline.

War Note (2021)

Personal videos from the phones, camcorders, cameras and GoPros of Ukrainian soldiers are woven into a surreal journey to the frontline of the war with Russia. The film shows a bizarre world whose laws are quite different from what we are used to. The behaviour is different, the relationships unfold differently and the humour takes on different notes. The heroes wake up and fall asleep, rejoice and cry, always feeling that the recording may end at any moment.

Soldiers of Song (2024)

Ukrainian musicians of all genres, from metal to opera, transform their passion for music into devotion to their country in this moving documentary. Beginning on the very first day of the Russian invasion, Soldiers of Song documents how the lives of its cast of Ukrainian musicians have irrevocably changed and how they use their musical talents to support themselves and their communities. Using shocking footage from the frontlines, this film reminds us not only of the ongoing tragedies that continue to happen during this war, but also of the resilience of Ukraine and its cultural forces. Here music functions not only to lift the spirits of the soldiers, but also as a cultural export to raise awareness of the war, a tool for raising humanitarian and military funds, and a valuable cultural artifact for everyday Ukrainians to rally around and protect. The musician’s commitment to their craft reminds us of the real power art has and the impact of beauty under catastrophic circumstances.

The War of Chimeras (2017)

The story of war, love and death that was documented by the immediate participants of events. Off screen and later on it are the two - a boy and a girl. He volunteered for the front; she went to the place just after the battle. He got into Ilovaysk cauldron, lost his closest brother-soldiers. She, while travelling along the ruined towns, strives to understand the essence of war and love. Both tell openly one another about their feelings during the war, escaping the cauldron, a try to live together after, and a common trip to the frontline.

Stronger than Arms (2014)

"Stronger than Arms", is the history that heats our hearts up with the memory of events and people, who from the time of Euromaidan to the war in the East were building a new Ukraine.

Once My Mother (2014)

Australian filmmaker Sophia Turkiewicz investigates why her Polish mother abandoned her and uncovers the truth behind her mother's wartime escape from a Siberian gulag, leaving Sophia to confront her own capacity for forgiveness.

Lift Force (2024)

The Ukrainian film "Lift Force" (Підйомна сила), released in 2024, is a documentary centered on the heroic efforts of Ukrainian pilots during the ongoing war. Directed by Oleksandr Stratiyenko, it explores the real-life challenges these aviators face, capturing both the intense danger and emotional strain of combat missions. Produced by the Aerotim team, the film highlights the resilience and professionalism of Ukrainian aircrews operating under extreme conditions.

Region of Heroes (2022)

Film reconstruction of five real stories about the heroic deeds of the residents of Kyiv region during the Russian occupation. A story about those who heroically and selflessly saved tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives.

Follow Me (2022)

The film tells the story of a married couple of civilians who came under intense fire from the enemy Russian army in the Izyum region in their car. The 93rd "Kholodny Yar" military brigade, not having the opportunity to safely approach Ukrainian civilians, conducted an unprecedented rescue operation with the help of drones. The plot is based on real events.

Raid. The Power of Unbroken (2015)

The main character is a colonel, Hero of Ukraine, presently the airborne forces commander, and up until March 2015 the commander of the 95th air brigade. His name is Mikhail Zabrodsky, and he leads not just his 95th brigade but all the other Highly Mobile Airborne Forces. Just as all of us, he wants the Ukrainian warriors not to die any more, be they troopers, tankmen or cannoneers. “I would happily give up the star of the Hero of Ukraine in exchange for peace,” the colonel says. The film plot is based on the longest crackdown in military history, which took place in August 2014 from Mariupol (which was reached after breaking the enemy’s defense) to Slavyansk; 470 kilometers in total, out of which 170 kilometers were to the other side of the front line.

Yaremchuk: Matchless World of Beauty (2024)

Documentary biographical drama about the life and career of the first Ukrainian pop star - Nazarii Yaremchuk.

MonoKate (2021)

Documentary that follows Go_A’s lead singer Kateryna Pavlenko in the build up to Eurovision 2021.

Lady Gaga: One Sequin at a Time (2010)

Not since Madonna has the pop world experienced a cultural icon like Stefani Germanotta, better known by her stage name, Lady Gaga. From her early years as an aspiring pianist and songwriter, to her time as a Catholic-school outcast, to her first record deal, One Sequin at a Time explores the ups and downs of this highly influential superstar. Her explosive career has continued to grow following the release of two major albums and critically acclaimed tours. With commentary from such stars as Ozzy Osbourne, Akon, and Michael Bolton, see how Lady Gaga is taking on the world--one sequin at a time. Loaded with Exclusive Interviews.

Roses. Film-Cabaret (2022)

Once upon a time in the dressing room of the famous Dakh theatre in Kyiv, seven actresses came up with the Dakh Daughters project. At their first solo show, Roses, they presented the world with a contemporary interpretation of the art of cabaret, which, in its absolute carnival freedom, knows how to entertain the public with the most serious topics. At the same time, Ukraine found itself on the threshold of significant change, not just in society, but also in the consciousnesses of thousands of people. The Revolution of Dignity and the war in the East reveal the nuances of the protagonists’ personalities, worldviews, creative reflections.

The Eternally Dancing Man (2021)

Monatik burst into the Ukrainian show business swiftly, triumphantly and as if out of nowhere, immediately starting to make music in quality comparable to European and American samples. The documentary project will tell about the artist's life even before he became famous and the most demanded Ukrainian performer.

DakhaBrakha: On the Road (2022)

The film reveals the phenomenon of one of the most famous Ukrainian bands in the world.

The Russian Woodpecker (2015)

As his country is gripped by revolution and war, a Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life and play his part in the revolution by revealing it.

Chernobyl.3828 (2011)

Military people call such places "FRONTLINE", liquidators who worked at the Chernobyl nuclear station called it "ROOF COATING". It was the most contaminated, and therefore the most dangerous, place in the zone. The remains of the roof coating of the 4th reactor. The operation on decontaminating the roof lasted more than five months. We will tell about only two days. About the most important two days in the life of an explorer - dosimetrist Valeriy Starodumov. He participated in this operation until it was over. He himself came out to the roof and led people there. He himself planted the "victory banner" at the level of 75 meters, as the signal for the zone: the roof coating has been decontaminated! Now, 25 years later, Valeriy Starodumov comes back to the zone. Now Chernobyl is a tourist object. But not for him...

The First Code (2023)

This story is a journey through time, starting from the 1950s with the creation of the first computer by Ukrainian engineers, and continuing until the present day when the IT sector has become not only a powerful industry but also an important front in the war against Russia.

The Winter Garden’s Tale (2018)

The film’s story is based on the fate of the Floriculture Pavilion of the former Exhibition of Achievements of the People’s Economy, and its elderly employee Valentyna Voronina, who maintains this space, investing her own life into it, until suddenly changes come to her. After forty-five years of work, she is asked to retire. But Voronina does not agree with that, because she thinks that all the plants will die without her. Meanwhile, a group of mysterious radioesthesists find a channel of positive energy right in front of the entrance to the pavilion.

The Whisper Of The Steps (2020)

The documentary film about the life and work of prominent Ukrainian monumental artists Ada Rybachuk and Volodymyr Melnichenko, whose main work - the Wall of Remembrance at Baykove Cemetery - was destroyed by the Soviet authorities after 13 years of daily hard work ...

Hranica (2009)

A documentary about a village that was during one night in 1947 separated by force into a Soviet and a Czechoslovak part in a way, that the border runs through the middle of the village, separating properties and families.

Where are you, Adam? (2020)

The plot of the film unfolds in the ancient monastery of Dokhiar on the west coast of Mount Athos, on the Aegean peninsula. This peninsula is given to the exclusive use of the monks of Eastern Christianity. Images of nature are woven into a virtually uninterrupted series of work and prayer, lining up in the rhythmic interrelation of man and nature. The central figure of the film was the monastery’s elder, Hegumen Gregory, whose long-term experience of spiritual nourishment rewarded him with a deep understanding of the human soul and her desire to return to the state characteristic of Adam’s human nature before the fall.

Spell Your Name (2006)

he film is based on the testimonies of survivors of the Holocaust that were collected by The Visual Library Archive of USC Shoah Foundation. Director Sergey Bukovsky takes the viewer on a journey of discovery as he and several Ukrainian students absorb the testimony of Ukrainian people who escaped brutal execution and those who rescued friends and neighbors during the Holocaust. A collection of men and women share the details of their experiences, and we are afforded a glimpse of modern-day Ukraine: the ethnic stereotypes that continue to exist and the manner in which Post-Soviet society is dealing with the question of how to memorialize the sites where tens of thousands of Jewish families and others were executed and thrown into mass graves.

Life After: Chernobyl (2016)

Thirty years after the worst nuclear catastrophe in history, which sent a plume of highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere, biologist Rob Nelson and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota are the first scientists to be granted unlimited access to the Chernobyl exclusion/danger zone to investigate how the environment and the wildlife have been affected after three decades of radiation exposure.

Hope Bahnhof (2022)

Documentary film about Ukrainian refugees and European volunteers who have united facing the war.

Втрачений дім (2022)

YEAR (2023)

A documentary film-project by Dmytro Komarov. He was the first journalist to witness and film the horrors of the just-liberated towns of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel. He saw the first emotions of people immediately after the de-occupation of Kyiv region, Kharkiv region, and Kherson region. The documentary is the author's view of the war from angles that you won't see in the news. Unique, rare, exclusive comments from those whose hands and minds are shaping our future victory. The main heroes of documentary are both ordinary Ukrainians who heroically show their strength and power every day for a year and high-ranking officials such as Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, Major General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk. Initially, "Year" was a series of journalistic reports, later they were edited into a two-part film.