Screening: “Animals in War”

On 29 September at 17:00 we invite you to Kino Sõprus in Tallinn for a screening of the Ukrainian film almanac “Animals in War” («Війна очима тварин») — seven stories about the Russo-Ukrainian war, told through the fates of those who cannot speak of what they lived through.

This screening by the Ukrainian Film Club in Estonia is dedicated to the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, traditionally marked by Ukrainians on 1 October.

War changes and destroys not only human lives. Animals also suffer from shelling, occupation, destroyed homes and forced flight. They do not understand the reasons for the war, but they feel fear, pain and loss just the same.

It is about them — and at the same time about people who, even in the most terrible circumstances, do not lose the ability to feel compassion, to save others and to take responsibility for those beside them — that “Animals in War” tells its story.

Seven short films. Seven directors. Seven true stories.

The heroes of the individual stories are a white rabbit, a cow, a goat, a wolf, a cat, an eagle and even aquarium fish. Through their fates the authors show different dimensions of the war in Ukraine — from the first days of the full-scale invasion to the life of people and animals amid combat.

The almanac was made by directors Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, Yuliia Shashkova, Max Tuzov, Oleksii Mamedov, Sviatoslav Kostiuk, Andrii Lidahovskyi and Ivan Sautkin. The author of the idea and producer is Oleh Kokhan, with Oleksii Makukhin as producer.

A special story in the almanac is Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi’s short film “The Eagle”, starring two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn.

The film’s main soundtrack song is “Burn Out” by Imagine Dragons.

The world premiere of “Animals in War” took place in June 2025 at one of the world’s most famous film festivals — the Tribeca Festival in New York.

In July 2026 the film received important recognition from the Ukrainian film community. At the anniversary 10th National Film Award “Golden Dziga”, Maryna Koshkina won the award for Best Actress for “Animals in War”.

The film almanac was also among the award’s nominees in the categories “Best Film”, “Best Supporting Actress” (Olha Martynyshyn) and “Best Editing”.

Ukrainian soldiers today defend not only our cities and borders. They defend life — our children and families, our homes, our culture, our land and everything living on it.

“Animals in War” shows one more dimension of this war — the fate of those who did not choose it and cannot describe what they lived through in words. At the same time, these are stories about people who, even amid destruction and danger, keep saving others, feeling compassion and remaining human.

On 29 September we will gather at Kino Sõprus to watch this special film and to thank our defenders — those thanks to whom Ukraine lives, and millions of lives today have a chance to be saved.

Running time: 98 minutes. Language: Ukrainian with English subtitles. Production: SOTA Cinema Group, Kleos Art, Essence Film — Ukraine/Germany. Ukraine, 2025.