From 33 Student Films to a Kyiv Institution: The Molodist Film Festival

In 1970 in Kyiv, a screening was held of 33 works by film students over two days. That was the start of Kyiv’s international film festival Molodist (Молодість, meaning “youth”). The festival held its 54th edition in Kyiv from October 25 to November 2, 2025.

Below, this article traces how an in-house student screening became an international festival, and its record over recent years, drawing on the entry in the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine’s Енциклопедія Сучасної України (Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine, “ESU” below; written by V. M. Voitenko, 2019), the festival’s own official history, and materials from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).

The Start: Two Days of Student Work

According to the official history on the festival’s website, Molodist began as a screening of works by students at the newly established film department of what is now the Karpenko-Kary University. The first showcase of works by students of the Kyiv Theater Institute, organized by Vadym Chubasov and Viktor Yuchenko, presented 33 films over two days, the site states.

ESU writes that it began in Kyiv in 1970 as a two-day screening of student shorts, and identifies the founders as the Kyiv Theater Institute, the Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, and director Mykola Mashchenko. The official site and ESU differ on who is credited with starting it.

By the mid-1970s, the screening had begun touring cities in Ukraine such as Pavlohrad and Kryvyi Rih, and student works from other Soviet republics were also joining (official site). ESU likewise states that from the mid-1970s, films from other republics entered the competition section, with directors from Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Lithuania, and elsewhere winning awards.

Toward an International Festival

According to the official site, during perestroika, works by newcomers from outside the Soviet Union — such as Poland and East Germany — and works by foreign students studying at Ukrainian universities began to be screened. ESU states that from 1988, the Union of Young Ukrainian Filmmakers (headed by M. Pavlov) took over running the festival.

The years around independence were difficult ones to sustain. The official site states that in 1991 there was no prize money, and in 1992 the festival wasn’t held at all. Then in 1993, the festival was formally registered with FIAPF as an international film festival (official site). ESU states that from 1993 the festival took its current name, with Andrii Khalpakhchi as director general, the “Molodist” foundation as organizer, and the top prize becoming the “Scythian Deer” statuette designed by sculptor S. Voloshyn.

When Did It Become “International”?

“The year it became an international festival” isn’t easily pinned to a single date. Different sources treat different milestones as the turning point.

• When works from abroad joined: the official site states that foreign newcomers’ works began screening during perestroika. ESU, after noting that Soviet-republic films joined from the mid-1970s, states that films from Canada, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, and other countries were also screened in competition and non-competition sections, without giving a specific time.
• Registration as an international festival: the official site states registration with FIAPF in 1993.
• When it began drawing broadly from world cinema: ESU states that films from around the world began participating “after Ukraine’s independence was established.”

None of the sources referenced here treats 1991 as the year of internationalization.

FIAPF Accreditation

FIAPF is an international body whose members are national film producers’ associations, and it accredits film festivals. FIAPF’s list of accredited festivals includes, from Ukraine, “Molodist – Kyiv International Film Festival,” and the festival’s page there gives its founding year as 1970 and describes it as a festival covering competition and non-competition sections, feature and short films (as of September 27, 2026). The festival itself has stated, in a 2025 announcement, that it is the only festival in Ukraine accredited in FIAPF’s “specialized festival” category.

The core of the competition section is an international competition covering feature-film debuts, short-film debuts, and student works (2025 festival announcement). ESU states that there is also a domestic competition gathering Ukrainian short films. The framework for state support of film is covered in our article on the film support law and pitching sessions.

The 2025 Figures: Who Counted What

The figures describing the scale of the 54th edition differ slightly depending on who published them. FIAPF’s page gives 1,977 submissions for 2025 (89% from abroad), 152 works selected for the official program, and 17,830 attendees. The festival’s own opening announcement gives 158 films from 59 countries across 11 sections, while its pre-opening announcement had given roughly 200 films from 45 countries. None of the sources explains how the counting was done — the scope of “sections,” or the distinction between feature and short films.

2019-2025: How Each Edition Was Held

The festival has not skipped a year over these seven years. But 2020’s dates shifted, and 2022 was held in an unusual month, December. Here is the record, drawn from the official site’s announcements (including archived ones).

For the 51st edition in 2022, the festival’s own opening announcement states that it chose to hold the event in cinemas despite Russia’s full-scale invasion, air-raid alerts, and power outages. At the opening of the 54th edition in 2025, Andrii Osypov, head of the State Film Agency, gave a speech (per the festival’s announcement).

Plans as of September 2026

According to the regulations the festival’s official site publishes as of September 2026, the 55th edition is planned for October 24 to November 1, 2026, in Kyiv — a late-October opening, as in 2023-2025. The festival itself advises checking its latest announcements for the exact dates and venue. The path of Ukrainian film is covered more broadly in our article on cinema connected to Ukraine, and the national film archive in our article on the Dovzhenko Centre.