Prairie Ukrainian Film Festival (PUFF) 2026

Presented at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada and Remai Modern, this year’s festival features seven films spanning documentary, drama, science fiction, animation, and classic cinema. Together, they highlight the richness, complexity, and evolving voices of Ukraine’s film industry while exploring themes of identity, displacement, memory, resilience, and cultural continuity.

PUFF 2026 opens with a screening of the new documentary Horizons of Belonging (2025), followed by a conversation with co-director Steven Brese. The film follows four Ukrainian families rebuilding their lives in Alberta after arriving in Canada following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reflecting experiences shared by many newcomers as they navigate displacement, belonging, and the process of creating home in a new country.

Films include:
• Horizons of Belonging (2025) – A documentary following four Ukrainian families in Alberta as they rebuild their lives in Canada after fleeing the war. The screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with co-director Steven Brese.
• Mavka: The Forest Song (2023) – A family-friendly animated fantasy inspired by Ukrainian folklore, following Mavka, a forest spirit, and Lukas, a human musician, in a story about environmental stewardship, trust, and reconciliation.
• U Are the Universe (2024) – A science-fiction feature following a lone space trucker who believes he may be the last human alive.
• The Eve of Ivan Kupalo / Vechir na Ivana Kupala (1968) – A visually striking Ukrainian classic inspired by folklore and the mystical traditions surrounding Kupala Night.
• 2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025) – A documentary following Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines as they fight to reclaim the village of Andriivka.
• Match in a Haystack (2025) – A documentary exploring how Ukrainian dancers continue to create, perform, and resist through art during wartime.
• Animals in War (2025) – A unique Ukrainian anthology film based on true stories of animals affected by the war in Ukraine.

All films are presented in Ukrainian with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.

PUFF is free to attend, with donations appreciated. Everyone is welcome.