Lecture by Aliona Penzii: “The History of Cinema in Ukraine: Documentary Cinema of the 1980s–1990s”
On November 21 at 16:00, Jam Factory Art Center will host a lecture by Aliona Penzii, Head of the Film Archive at the Dovzhenko Centre, film scholar, and curator of film programmes and exhibitions.
About the Lecture
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, society increasingly demanded the right to truth, humane treatment, a home, memory, and freedom. These demands opened up possibilities for change and challenged the Soviet system.
During this period, Ukrainian documentary cinema underwent a profound transformation. Filmmakers not only recorded changes in the country and society but sometimes helped drive them. The lecture will explore the transition from official, state-serving documentary filmmaking to a critical approach.
The discussion will focus on the following films:
- Early on Sunday… and The Wound by Murad Mamedov;
- The Right to Truth by Heorhii Shkliarevskyi;
- Serhii Parajanov. A Visit by Anatolii Syrykh;
- The Past?.. by Rafail Nakhmanovych.
About the Speaker
Aliona Penzii is Head of the Film Archive at the Dovzhenko Centre, a film scholar, and a curator of film programmes and exhibitions.
She holds a master’s degree in film studies from the Ivan Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television. Since joining the Dovzhenko Centre in 2018, she has researched the history of Ukrainian non-fiction cinema, with a particular interest in animation.
She has programmed and organised retrospectives of Ukrainian cinema for international and national venues and festivals, including the Cinémathèque française, LINOLEUM, KISFF, Molodist, Docudays UA, StopTrik, and ANIMATOR. From 2022 to 2024, she curated film programmes at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture (DCCC). In 2023 and 2025, she co-curated exhibitions on Ukrainian film history as part of the Kyiv Biennial.
She is a board member of the Kinokolo National Film Critics’ Award and writes film criticism for LB.ua, Ukrainska Pravda, and other media outlets.
The lecture is part of “The History of Cinema in Ukraine” programme.
📅 November 21 | 16:00
📍 Jam Factory Art Center, Auditorium
124 B. Khmelnytskoho St., Lviv
🎟 Admission is free with advance registration