About us

The Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin is organized by Plivka. Initiative für unabhängige audiovisuelle Kunst und Kultur Berlin e.V., a registered association dedicated to promoting Ukrainian cinema worldwide.

Our goal, however, is above all to present the current film landscape in Ukraine, and to explore it together with the audience.

We would like to show high-quality Ukrainian cinema products in cooperation with cinemas and various institutions, with experts and other guests, and make them available for discussion. We strive to familiarize the audience with a multitude of genres and artistic approaches of Ukrainian filmmakers, to talk about the role and perception of Ukrainian cinema in the German and global context.

To carry out exciting projects that will be attractive not only for those interested in Ukraine and Eastern Europe but also for other viewers who are interested in artistic processes and products. 

With Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin we want to create a platform for the discussion of current issues for Ukraine in a European context. We want to hold our film screenings in professionally suitable rooms, give our viewers time, space, and topics for discussions and create an atmosphere of mutual dialogue.

Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin at a glance:

  • Founded in 2020 in Berlin.

  • Takes place annually at the end of October.

  • Five successful festival editions with more than 50,000 international attendees.

  • Thematic film series & numerous screenings of Ukrainian cinema throughout Germany.

  • Cooperation with the most important cultural and film institutions in Ukraine and Germany.

  • Award-winning films, impact documentaries, curated short film programs & retrospective programs.

  • Panels, talks, and Q&A sessions with directors & film experts.

Meet the Team

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    Daria Buteiko

    FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

    Daria is working in academia and at different European film festivals, such as Berlinale and Filmfest Munich. Since 2016, she has been co-organizing screenings of Ukrainian films in Berlin.

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    Ivanna Kozak

    FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

    After finishing her studies in Prague and the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris program, Ivanna has been working as film producer in Berlin. In 2020 she co-founded the UFFB and Plivka Initiative and is responsible for festival programming and overall festival coordination.

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    Valentina Zalevska

    FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

    Valentina has been working in several international film festivals such as Lviv International Short Film Festival Wiz-Art in Ukraine, Human Rights Film Festival Berlin and Fracto Experimental film encounter produced & distributed short films. She is responsible for programming & production.

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    Gevorg Avetikyan

    VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

    Gevorg is a researcher at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) with experience in higher education and internationalization. He has worked with the Golden Apricot Film Festival in Yerevan. Now in Berlin, he joined the Ukrainian Film Festival team in 2024 as a volunteer coordinator.

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    Petro Baliuk

    GUEST MANAGER

    Petro is a Guest Manager and Guest Liaison professional. He has been working with such festivals as Berlinale and Poesiefestival Berlin. His second most favourite place after festivals are mountains and simply being out in the wild. A pathological dog lover and a keen eye on visual arts and photography. An always-ready-to help personality with a pinch of analytical thinking, dash of problem solving and a dollop of compassion.

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    Bogdana Bondarenko

    WEBSITE & TECHNICAL STUFF

    Bogdana, a full-stack developer and UI/UX designer from Kyiv, has a passion for arts and cinema. Living in Berlin since 2003, she never misses Berlinale and since 2020 also UFFB. In 2023, she joined the festival team, supporting web development and providing technical solutions.

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    Kateryna Khotkevych

    TECHNICAL MANAGER

    Kateryna is a software engineer, passionate about the film industry. After visiting major world film festivals in Berlin, Venice, and Cannes, in 2020 Kateryna joined the initiative to run the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin.

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    Olena Kukharets

    SPONSORING & PARTNERSHIPS

    Olena is a business development professional with nearly a decade of experience. She specializes in B2B sales, partnerships, project management, and marketing. She oversees partnerships and sponsor relations at the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin and consults for tech industry clients.

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    Ivan Paniotov

    FINANCE MANAGER & SHORT FILM PROGRAMMER

    Ivan is a financial specialist and a photographer with 6+ years of professional experience in both fields. At the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin, he is responsible for representing all the activities in numbers. In his free time, you can find him in one of the movie theaters in Berlin watching new and classic films.

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    Danyil Potopaiev

    SHORT FILM PROGRAMMER AND COORDINATOR

    Danyil, originally from Kyiv, studies at the Institute for East European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. He earned a BA in philosophy in Poland, joined the ARTE Tracks East program, and is organizing Central Asian Short Film Festival Berlin. At UFFB, he is a short film programmer and coordinator.

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    Liliia Petryna

    SPONSORING & PARTNERSHIPS

    Lviv-born, Berlin-based marketing specialist with a culture, art & fashion background. Experienced in social media management. Her biggest passions are skiing, horse riding, visiting museums/galleries, and flea-market treasure hunting.

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    Jana Riemann

    SHORT FILM PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

    Jana Riemann is a film programmer and curator with an academic background in film studies. Currently she is part of the Berlinale Shorts selection committee and preselector for Docudays UA and Kyiv International Short Film Festival. Together with a small team she's creating the short film programme for UFFB. Apart from work, she likes horror films, Nicolas Cage and twerking.

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    Roman Sadovskyi

    TEAM

    Roman is a director and acting teacher. He assisted at Thalia Theatre Hamburg in 2023 and created the docu-series My War and Me. He is the artistic director of the independent theatre “Maysternya 55”, founder and curator of the Ukrainian interdisciplinary community Sensuality Lab with workshops for youth in Berlin.

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    Rita Schindler

    EVENT MANAGEMENT

    Rita joined UFFB as a volunteer two years ago now manages all the festival venues. With years as a creative producer in Ukraine’s music scene, she later shifted to sports events in Germany. Passionate about visual arts, she supports Ukrainian cinemaenjoys mountain activities and the outdoors.

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    Vincent Töpsch

    SMM MANAGEMENT

    Vincent is a digital marketing professional based in Berlin, originally from Kiel. With three years of experience, he combines his expertise in communications with a deep passion for Ukrainian culture, history, language and food. As an active supporter of Ukraine, he is engaged in cultural and social initiatives. Beyond his work, Vincent enjoys traveling across Ukraine, playing computer games, and exploring innovative vegan cuisine.

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    Iryna Zghodko

    SMM CONTENT CREATOR

    Iryna, born in Kyiv and now in Berlin, has 4+ years’ experience in digital marketing and content creation. She manages UFFB’s social media with creative, informative content and has worked with projects like NGO Vitsche. Passionate about aesthetics, she enjoys photography, art, architecture, and food.

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    Mariya Zoryk

    PR MANAGER & SHORT FILM PROGRAMMER

    Mariya studied media studies and spent eight years with the Bamberg Short Film Festival, leading it for two years. With experience in PR and communications for cultural institutions such as the Ukrainian Institute in Germany and Tanzwerkstatt Europa, she has coordinated UFFB’s communications since 2021. In her free time, she enjoys dance classes, photography, and cuddling her cat.