Horizons / Strichka chasu / Ukraine, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France 2025
The observational documentary screened in the Competition section at this year’s Berlinale traces a year in the lives of students and teaching staff at various schools in Ukraine. What at first glance appear as routine activities – lessons, welcoming first-year pupils, school-leaving exams, or the sound of the last bell – acquire fresh significance in the context of war. The conflict itself is never explicitly shown on camera; nevertheless, its presence has deeply penetrated the mosaic of daily life. Despite the pervasive sense of unease, classes are still conducted in destroyed buildings and air raid shelters, becoming a symbol of the defiance and perseverance of Ukrainian society. In fact, the children are taught the most important thing of all: not only how to stay alive, but also how to appreciate the pleasure of being alive.
Natalia Kozáková
125 min / Color, DCP
Director Kateryna Gornostai
/ Dir. of Photography Oleksandr Roshchyn
/ Music Alexey Shmurak
/ Sound Pavlo Melnyk, Mykhailo Zakutsky, Lode Woltersom, Artem Kosynskyi
/ Editor Nikon Romanchenko
/ Producer Natalia Libet, Olha Bregman
/ Production 2Brave Productions
/ Coproduction Bahn & Rinkel Docs
/ Sales Best Friend Forever
Kateryna Gornostai. Selected filmography: Euromaidan. Rough Cut (Evromaidan. Chornovy montazh, 2014, doc.), Condensed (Zgushhonka, 2016, short), Crocodile (Krokodyl, 2018, short), Stop-Zemlia (2021), Timestamp (Strichka chasu, 2025, doc.).
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