announcement

THE SUNNY BUNNY QUEER FILM FESTIVAL OPENS IN KYIV DESPITE THREATS

Despite threats, the 3rd SUNNY BUNNY Queer Film Festival has opened in Kyiv. The opening film was the Ukrainian documentary Queens of Joy.

The evening began with gratitude to the Ukrainian Defense Forces and a moment of silence to honor the memory of all fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians killed by Russian occupiers. The organisers reminded everyone that thousands of queer people serve in Ukraine’s military. In recognition of their service, the festival is offering a special free pass for all military personnel. They can visit the festival’s accreditation desk any day til April 25, present a military ID, and receive their pass.

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The opening ceremony was hosted by Oleksii Ananov — TV presenter and curator of the Cinema Space at the Ukrainian House. Among the evening’s guests were festival ambassadors: Nadiia Shapoval (Ukrainian cultural researcher, stylist, model, content creator, and founder of the brand Nadiia), Zhenia Honcharenko (dancer, choreographer, member of DOROFEEVA’s main ballet team, teacher, and founder of the clothing brand STOYLO), Senior Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladyslav Aprelov, artist and Shevchenko National Prize laureate Zhanna Kadyrova, comedian Svitlana Nemoniezhyna (resident of Underground Stand-Up, author of Sobachyi Stand-Up, participant of the TV show League of Laughter), and Ukrainian singer, folklorist, and co-founder of the band YUKO (active until 2020), Yulia Yurina.

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The organizers emphasized that SUNNY BUNNY grew out of the eponymous queer film program at the Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival, which had existed since 2001. In fact, Molodist began promoting queer cinema back in the 1990s.

“I hope this festival will be interesting to a wide audience — to people who may be watching such films for the first time and who will realize that not only people like themselves deserve a place in this world. People should be different — in their preferences, their religions, their political beliefs.

When selecting films, our team looked not only at the theme but also at artistic merit — we chose films that are truly cinema, the kind we love and celebrate,” said Andriy Khalpakhchi, founder of the SUNNY BUNNY competition and general director of the Molodist KIFF.

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“I’d like to honor my brother, who died a few months ago. We are all losing something or someone… Unfortunately, that is our current reality. But we keep fighting, we keep working tirelessly. We tirelessly strive to make this world, our city Kyiv, our country — better.

I’m deeply thankful to all our audience members for joining us and enjoying this celebration of cinema that also fights for a better world.” - said Bohdan Zhuk, the Head of SUNNY BUNNY.

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The festival opened with the Ukrainian co-produced documentary Queens of Joy, directed by Olha Hybelinda. The film marks her feature-length directorial debut. It was produced by Ivanna Khitsinska (for Malanka Studios, Ukraine), Louis Bedouet (Les Steppes Productions, France), and Hana Blaga Shilarova (Film & Chips, Czech Republic). The film also received support from Ukraine’s Public Broadcaster Suspilne (with producers Serhii Nedzelskyi, Nataliia Movshovych, and Alona Holiakova).

The screening was presented by nearly the entire film crew, including its protagonists: well-known activist and blogger Monroe, drag artist and soldier Artur Ozerov aka Aura, Oleksandr Danilin aka Marlen Scandal — a legendary figure in Ukraine’s drag scene, as well as Artem Shtanko aka Biolohiia and Vitalii Pelikhov aka Jeanne d’Arc.

“For me, Queens of Joy is a film about freedom, about identity — about how every person, regardless of circumstances, deserves to be happy and to have the right to joy.

It’s a film about Ukrainians, about our identity, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. About freedom, about the will to be unique, about our values. It is for these very values, for our way of life, that we are fighting — on the front lines and on the cultural front,” said director Olha Hybelinda.

The documentary follows

the protagonists as they come together during the full-scale war to organize a charity drag show in support of Ukraine and its defenders — proving that art and culture can be powerful tools of resistance and solidarity. Strong and free, their stories amplify the voice of the queer community in Ukraine.

“I wish everyone to nurture their own queen of joy!” added diva Monroe.

The film had its world premiere at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. It is expected to be released in Ukrainian cinemas this fall.

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The SUNNY BUNNY Film Festival is supported by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the International Renaissance Foundation, the European Union, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Ukraine, the British Council, and in partnership with the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine. With additional support from German Films, Ukrainian IT product company appflame, and Jägermeister.

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Photos: Anastasiia Mantatch

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We extend our gratitude to:

Embassy of Canada

Embassy of Spain

Embassy of Denmark

Embassy of Ireland

Embassy of Italy

Italian Cultural Institute

Embassy of Greece

Embassy of Argentina