On December 21, Cosmo Kino Fest took place at the Odesa Film Studio — an intense and deeply emotional day of documentary cinema, conversation, and shared presence.

Festival audiences watched four very different yet internally connected films — about Odesa and Kherson, about trust, the body, time, and war, about human vulnerability and resilience.

“Pryvoz”, by director Eva Neymann (Ukraine / Germany), a member of Cosmopolis. A film about Odesa’s living world — stubbornly authentic, polyphonic, philosophical, and profoundly embodied.

“Trust or Rust”, by directors Andrii Kashpur and Dmytro Khopta (Ukraine). A sociological reflection on trust in contemporary Ukraine. Both directors are currently serving on the front line. The film was created with the participation of Serhiy Zhadan and several members of Cosmopolis.

“Kherson: Human Safari”, by director Zarina Zabrisky (USA). A film about a largely unseen reality of Kherson — the targeted hunting of civilians by Russian drones.

“Sanatorium”, by director Gar O’Rourke (Ireland). Ireland’s nominee for the 2026 Academy Awards. A film about Kuyalnyk — the body, time, and vulnerability.

A particularly valuable element of the festival was the online conversation with the filmmakers: Eva Neymann (“Pryvoz”) and Andrii Kashpur (“Trust or Rust”) joined the audience remotely.

Zarina Zabrisky kindly recorded a video message from Brussels, where she is currently speaking with European Parliament officials about the war in Ukraine — and specifically about the “human safari” carried out by Russian drone operators in Kherson.

The success of the first festival gave us not only confidence in the chosen path, but also the inspiration to make the festival an annual event. We are already working on the next edition — the festival dates will be announced soon.

If you would like to submit your film for festival consideration or learn more about the format and selection conditions, please contact us.