In recent years, WATCH DOCS has made the war in Ukraine one of its central themes. It’s worth noting that last year’s festival winner, 20 Days in Mariupol, went on to win an Oscar just three months later. 

This year’s program features a selection of Ukrainian films offering fresh perspectives on the ongoing conflict. Leading the lineup is Oksana Karpovych’s Intercepted, which premiered at Berlinale. This groundbreaking experimental documentary—the first of its kind on the war—relies as much on sound as on visuals. It focuses on the chillingly intimate intercepted conversations between Russian soldiers and their families, making it one of the most acclaimed Ukrainian documentaries of the year. 

Two additional Ukrainian productions approach the war from unconventional angles. Adelina Borets’ Flowers of Ukraine, featured in the New Polish Films Competition, is an anarchic wartime comedy about an extraordinary family thriving in a lush oasis amidst Kiev’s gray housing estates. Meanwhile, Zinema delivers a scathing critique of Russian propaganda cinema, revealing how these films fueled hatred and contempt for anyone resisting the Kremlin’s grip. 

These Ukrainian films are presented in collaboration with the monthly Nowa Polszcza and the Juliusz Mierosławski Center for Dialogue. 

In addition to these, the festival highlights a Dutch production with a strong focus on Ukraine: Eddy's War. This gripping film offers a behind-the-scenes look at a photojournalist risking his life to capture the perfect image that encapsulates the brutality of this war. Both the screening and the director’s visit are made possible by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Warsaw.