At the heart of the plot is a relationship between a maid Vlada Koza and Fredo Lagana – a bigwig in Cosa Nostra, an Italian mafia clan. Fredo has been recently released from prison and is having a hard time navigating the modern world around. He lost control over his business, and his family has nothing but trouble. Vlada becomes a secret Ukrainian ingredient in Fredo’s success, for both getting back the control over his organization and fixing his relationships with his kids.

Don Fredo’s eldest son – brutish Luca, dreams to continue in his father’s line of work, but he lacks a knack for it. The youngest son Gianni, conversely, does not want to get involved in crime, and no wonder – he has got a software engineering degree in the US. His daughter Francesca is stubborn, rebellious, and has a modern outlook on life. She tries to ignore the familial history, which irritates her father greatly. The entire Lagana family lost touch with each other, and Vlada is going to help the whole family to settle disputes and understand each other once again.

The selection includes winners of the leading Ukrainian film festivals, winners of major film awards and the most discussed short films. These are stories about growing up, relationships, self-discovery and the reality that is changing before our eyes, stories about moods and trends, and sometimes disturbing premonitions in Ukrainian society and cinema in 2021-2022.

• Deep water
• Be patient with me
• 20-11-7.mp4
• A tiger wanders by
• Dad's sneakers
• The earth is spinning
• Intolerance
• Peace and tranquillity

The Ukrainian New Wave is a project to present the best short films by Ukrainian debutant directors of the current year. Launched by the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre in 2012, it annually presents the best short debut films by young Ukrainian directors that have been selected and awarded at national and international film festivals.

The documentary Silvestrov, dedicated to this brilliant Ukrainian composer, is far from a traditional biopic about a prominent person. It is an observation, a confession and, most of all, a story of great talent set against the backdrop of uncertain times.

Of course, film authors pay tribute to the composer’s creative techniques: avantgarde of the 1960s, forced into underground at the times of socialist realism, postmodernism (his main obsession during the 1970s), metaphorical music and contemporary pieces that charm audiences around the world. But it is also a personal story of a genius mind with its oddity, curiosity and emotional depth.