Three Ukrainian films selected for one of UK's largest independent film festivals

Three Ukrainian films – On a Stringer, Rescue and Our Colors Never Fade – have been selected for the programme of the Raindance Film Festival, which will take place from 17 to 26 June.

Source: Raindance Film Festival

Details: On a Stringer is the debut short narrative film by Ukrainian cinematographer Sashko Roshchyn. The film has been selected for the Narrative Short programme.

The story follows a serviceman undergoing profound personal changes because of the war. In search of balance, he returns to a long-forgotten hobby – fishing – and spends a day on the banks of the Dnipro River.

The lead role is played by musician and serviceman Vasyl Pereverziev, vocalist of the bands TOL and Prozak. The creative team also includes cinematographer Boria Borysov, editor Nikon Romanchenko, production designer Maksym Nimenko and composers Oleksii Shmurak and Mykyta Moiseiev.

Rescue has been selected for the Documentary Feature section. The film follows volunteers rescuing animals from combat zones in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The documentary was produced by the Ukrainian organisation Every Animal together with the American production company We Are All Animals. It was directed by Alessio Schiazza and produced by Tamara Human, founder of Every Animal.

The film features a former Ukrainian serviceman, a Swiss volunteer, a Bulgarian cat rescuer and an Italian man who founded an animal shelter in Kyiv Oblast. During filming alone, 4,000 animals were evacuated.

Our Colors Never Fade has also been selected for the Documentary Feature category.

Directed by American filmmaker Jim McSherry, the documentary is based on frontline footage, personal archives and interviews with Ukrainian LGBTQ+ service members.

The film's description says that "these brave men and women are part of the LGBTQ+ military, meaning they are fighting not only to defend their country, but also their own existence – threatened by Russia and, at times, by fellow Ukrainians too. Through the anguished testimonies of dozens of queer men and women, Jim McSherry – a gay American journalist and documentarian – tells the courageous story of regular people standing up against oppression and intolerance."

For reference: The Raindance Film Festival is one of the largest independent film festivals in the UK and is recognised as a qualifying festival for both the Academy Awards and the BAFTA Awards.

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