Screenings
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CEREES screenings present films at QMUL and local cinemas. We showcase films from the region to prompt discussion of contemporary and historical issues.
Friday 18 September, 2026
Decay (1990)
Director: Mykhailo Belikov
Year: 1990
Language: Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles
The first fiction feature made about the Chornobyl disaster. On the eve of the accident the journalist Oleksandr Zhuravlov returns to Kyiv, to his family and to the friends of his childhood. The next day the ordinary course of events changes for good. The state conceals the true scale of what has happened; Zhuravlov refuses to accept the official account and sets out to establish the truth. Two further strands run alongside his: the newlyweds Valerii and Liuba, who slip away from their own wedding and end up inside the contaminated zone, and a boy who is left behind in Prypiat with his cat, because the cat could not be taken out.
Introduced by the film scholar and archivist, Stanislav Menzelevskyi, in person.
Presented in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute London (UIL) as part of the Ukrainian film festival 2026
The screening follows the symposium ‘Visualising Chornobyl: Ukraine and Beyond’, marking the fortieth anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, which takes place on 18 September at Queen Mary University of London. The symposium is organised by CEREES at Queen Mary University of London and the British Association for Slavonic & East European Studies (BASEES). If you wish to attend the symposium, you must register here.
Monday 12 October, 2026
Tranformation (2026)
Directed by Ganka Tretiak
Produced by Artem Burba
BRB Production, Ukraine, Supported by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine
Transformation is a feature-length documentary that explores the inner metamorphosis of civilians who consciously chose to become soldiers in the context of Ukraine’s full-scale war. Musicians, visual artists, filmmakers and cultural practitioners left their civilian life to take up arms, and to give voice to the shared experience of life at war.
Friday 24 April, 2026
Words of Defiance
On Friday 24 April, the Centre for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at QMUL welcomed Dmytro Kuleba, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine, and Bjorn Berge (Deputy Secretary General, Council of Europe) to celebrate the publication of an important account of the war in Ukraine. Joined by Dr Olesya Khromeychuk (Ukrainian Institute London) and the international lawyer, writer and filmmaker Philippe Sands KC to discuss Berge’s new book, Words of Defiance, which combines Kuleba’s wartime speeches with a rare and authoritative account of how the war in Ukraine unfolded on the world stage.
Wednesday 3 December, 2025
Ukraine: Everyday Resilience by Yan Dobronosov
The Photo Exhibition “Ukraine: Everyday Resilience” by Yan Dobronosov tells vivid stories of life in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. Through his photographic lens, the exhibition acts as a form of cultural diplomacy — a quiet, poignant reminder of the ongoing war and the resilience of the people living through it.
Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS
Monday 28 April, 2025
Symphony of Sirens in Baku
‘Screening’ (or listening) of Arseny Avraamov’s 1922 musical work incorporating the city of Baku as its orchestra. Plus, discussion of the place of the Asian city in the avant-garde vision of the city.
Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS
Monday 29 January, 2024
Katia Izmailova
Valerii Todorovskii’s 1994 film and launch of A History of Russian Literature on Film by Professor David Gillespie, Dr Marina Korneeva
Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS
Monday 10 July, 2023
Red Africa
Alexander Markov’s documentary on the history of the influence exerted by the USSR over across Africa between 1960 -1990, working from extraordinary archival footage filmed by Soviet operators.
Barbican Cinema
Thursday 22 June, 2023
Famine
Screening and Panel Discussion
Famine is a Russian film depicting the 1921-22 famine in Russia and Ukraine and international relief efforts. It has been banned in Russia.
Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Road London E1 4UJ
Shape the Conversation
To form part of the conversation on Eurasia, participate in our programme of events, or find out how we can support your research, please contact the Centre Director Dr Andy Willimott (a.willimott@qmul.ac.uk).