Vatican News / Piotr Kowalczuk
God’s Idea
Andrii Yurash, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Vatican, when asked by the Polish section of Vatican News where the idea for the Polish-Ukrainian film festival in Rome came from, said that judging by the results, it must have been God’s idea. He added that this is a consequence of a long-standing cooperation.
He recalled that his Embassy screened the Polish feature film “People” about the war in Ukraine in Rome, and the Polish Embassy to the Vatican organized a screening in the Eternal City of the Ukrainian film “Shchedryk”, which tells the shared story of three families—Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish—living in Stanyslaviv between 1938 and 1944.
Polish Solidarity and Friendship
Ewelina Brudnicka, the Chargé d’affaires of the Polish Embassy to the Holy See, said that the idea for the “Ukrainian and Polish Film Days” was born three years ago, and she hopes that they will also be organized next year. She added that her Embassy, especially on the anniversary of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, strives to show our Polish solidarity and friendship with Ukraine.
“U Are the Universe” and “Man of Marble”
Although the official opening ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 28, screenings had already begun on Tuesday. Pavlo Ostrikov’s (born 1990) film “U Are the Universe” was shown. The sci-fi film combines elements of comedy, drama, and a love story. It tells a story of loneliness, the need for closeness, and hope after a global catastrophe. The film was made during the Russian invasion (2024). It received awards at film festivals in Thessaloniki and Paris. Afterward, Andrzej Wajda’s masterpiece “Man of Marble” was screened.
“2000 Meters from Andriivka” and “Katyn”
Meanwhile, after the opening ceremony, a screening of the film “2000 Meters from Andriivka” (2025) took place. It is a harrowing documentary by Chernov (born 1985), full of drastic and brutal scenes. It tells the story of Ukrainian soldiers fighting to recapture the small town of Andriivka from the Russians. The film won an award at the famous American independent film festival Sundance. Chernov’s previous documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” (2023) received an Oscar in the “Best Documentary Feature Film” category. It was the first Oscar in the history of Ukrainian cinematography. Wajda’s “Katyn” was shown after the Ukrainian documentary.
“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” and “Man of Iron”
Today, to conclude the event, documentary films by film school students from Warsaw and Kyiv will be shown. This will be followed by a screening of Serhiy Parajanov’s (1924–1990) film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (1965). This extraordinary film combines a tragic love story with Carpathian folklore, folk rituals, and mysticism. The festival will conclude with a screening of Andrzej Wajda’s “Man of Iron”.
All films are shown in their original language version with Italian or English subtitles.
The event from October 27 to 29 was organized by the Polish and Ukrainian Embassies to the Holy See, with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Polish Film Institute, as well as the Ukrainian “Dveri” (Doors) Foundation, the Warsaw Film School, the Documentary and Feature Film Studios, and the Ukrainian Dovzhenko Centre.
