Prairie Ukrainian Film Festival (PUFF) 2024

We are thrilled to announce that the Prairie Ukrainian Film Festival (PUFF) is back for its second year!
This year, PUFF will showcase seven acclaimed contemporary Ukrainian films over the course of four days, from June 13 to 16. They include intellectual comedies, stirring dramas, and poignant reflections on the war, as well as a globally celebrated children’s feature! PUFF offers viewers a unique opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in the scenery, stories, and lives of a nation that has made its way into the hearts of people all around the world.
Remai Modern (102 Spadina Crescent E, Saskatoon) & Ukrainian Museum of Canada (910 Spadina Crescent E, Saskatoon).
Admission is free or by donation.
Curated by Dr. Nadya Foty-Oneschuk, The Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage at St. Thomas More College
Organized by The Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage at St. Thomas More College, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Remai Modern Art Gallery, and Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Saskatchewan.
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Schedule:
Thursday, June 13 at Ukrainian Museum of Canada:
6 PM – Doors open – Cash bar & light snacks
7 PM – The Guide (2014)
Friday, June 14 at Remai Modern:
7 PM – Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story (2023)
Saturday, June 15 at Remai Modern:
1 PM – PUFFchyk Children’s Feature: Mavka: The Forest Song (2023)
4 PM – Hutsulka Ksenya (2019)
7 PM – 20 Days in Mariupol (2023) *2024 Oscar Winner
Sunday, June 16 at Remai Modern:
12:30 PM – Shchedryk (2022)
3 PM – Luxembourg, Luxembourg (2022)
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About the films:
The Guide (2014, Directed by Oles Sanin): A young American boy and a blind Ukrainian man are thrust together by fate during the 1930s Russian subjugation of Ukraine.
Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story (2023, Directed by Nate Pommer and Eric Weinrib): A documentary that chronicles the life of Ukrainian punk legend Eugene Hütz, from his rise to fame with NYC punk band Gogol Bordello to his return to Ukraine. An Official selection at Tribeca Film Festival.
PUFFchyk Children’s Feature: Mavka: The Forest Song (2023, Directed by Oleh Malamuzh, Oleksandra Ruban, and Yevheniy Yermak): Mavka, the Soul of the Forest, is faced with a difficult choice after falling in love with a man, a musician named Lukash: love or her duty to the Forest.
Hutsulka Ksenya (2019, Directed by Alena Demyanenko): A musical comedy in which a Ukrainian American man travels to the Carpathian Mountains in search of a wife so he can inherit his father’s fortune.
20 Days in Mariupol (2023, Directed by Mstyslav Chernov): A documentary that follows AP journalists as they document the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film and the BAFTA for Best Documentary.
Shchedryk (2022, Directed by Olesia Morhunets-Isaienko): An historical drama that follows the intertwined lives of three Polish, Jewish, and Ukrainian families as they are confronted with the Nazi invasion and then the Soviet Occupation.
Luxembourg, Luxembourg (2022, Directed by Antonio Lukich): Ukrainian twin brothers embark on a trip to Luxembourg to visit their gangster father who is dying. An Official Selection at Toronto International Film Festival and in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival.

PUFF is delighted to offer free admission to all attendees, making this festival accessible to everyone. The festival is proud to extend a warm welcome to individuals from all backgrounds, encouraging them to engage with Ukrainian culture and cinematic artistry.
For more information, please visit www.puffsaskatoon.com