Kyiv International Short Film Festival Returns This September with 250 Films from Around the World

The 15th Kyiv International Short Film Festival (KISFF) will take place from September 17 to 23 at Kyiv’s Zhovten Cinema and Kino42.

This year’s edition will feature around 250 short films across 40 curated programs. To mark its 15th anniversary, the festival has also prepared a special section, “KISFF: 15 Years of Short Cinema,” showcasing 15 landmark Ukrainian short films produced between 2010 and 2025, according to Village reports, citing the festival organizers.

The program includes retrospectives of directors Paul Verhoeven, Christian Petzold, and Jan Švankmajer, as well as archive screenings exploring Berlin’s club scene before the rise of techno. Other highlights include the themed programs “Unhealed: The Short Films of Lovisa Sirén” and “Body, Body, Body!”. Ukrainian cinema will also be represented through “Ukrainian New Wave,” curated by the Dovzhenko Centre, and “Home Movies,” presented by the Lviv City Media Archive.

Some screenings will be made accessible to people with visual and hearing impairments. The films will feature audio description via the Podyv app, as well as extended subtitles. The organizers plan to expand the number of accessible screenings in future editions.

The festival will also launch an updated website with improved accessibility for visually impaired users. The new site will support screen readers, allow full keyboard navigation without a mouse, and feature higher-contrast text and buttons for easier use, the festival team said.

Each program will also include content warnings about sensitive themes and scenes. Selected screenings will be held in a low-sensory environment, with reduced volume and dimmed lighting that remains on throughout the screening. Audience members will also be free to leave and re-enter the auditorium during the film, the organizers said.

Festival passes are already on sale. The first 50 passes are available at a discounted price, after which prices will gradually increase. Passes will be free of charge for internally displaced persons (IDPs), active military personnel, veterans, pensioners, and people with disabilities, while students will receive a discount. Festival passes and individual tickets are available for purchase online.

The Kyiv International Short Film Festival (KISFF) is an annual event that has been held in Kyiv since 2012. Village previously reported on the winners of the 14th KISFF.

EMPR

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