How to watch it: Ukrainian cinema of independence

This book is a guide to Ukrainian cinema, featuring analyses of 34 films, recommendation lists and exclusive testimonies from directors, producers, actors and crew members shaping the country’s film industry today.

Film critic Yurii Samusenko explores the most compelling stories of how Ukrainian cinema evolved throughout the years of independence. The focus is on 34 Ukrainian films made between 1991 and 2025 — ranging from nearly forgotten works to winners of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, including the first Oscar in Ukraine’s history.

The author conducted dozens of exclusive interviews and gathered unique firsthand accounts from filmmakers: directors, producers, actors, casting directors, production designers, cinematographers and others who share insider stories about how particular films were made.

The book also includes a list of more than one hundred Ukrainian films that can serve as a starting point — or continuation — for discovering Ukrainian cinema.

How to Watch: Ukrainian Cinema of Independence is a guide through Ukrainian cinematography that will help readers better understand it — and, as a result, love it more deeply. Written for the widest possible audience of readers and viewers.