This year, the 4th SUNNY BUNNY Queer Film Festival presents two unique retrospectives — «90s Cinema Retrospective», featuring films made by legendary directors, and «Ukrainian Queer Shorts Retrospective».
Both selections are filled with iconic films, giving audiences a rare chance to catch them on the big screen.
The 90s Cinema Retrospective features iconic works by such cinematic legends as Lilly and Lana Wachowski, Gus Van Sant, and Pedro Almodóvar.
«The 90s Retrospective is a collection of films by directors from a defining era of queer cinema, the very period the term itself gained prominence. While such films have certainly been made throughout the history of cinema, this time was a true turning point. It followed a shift toward greater LGBT+ acceptance and loosened restrictions on representation, driven by large-scale activism during the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Combined with easier access to filmmaking tools, this triggered a global queer cinema boom reaching far beyond the US, where the term originated. Every film in this selection demonstrates this evolution in its own way, with many of these directors since becoming true cinematic icons. Pedro Almodóvar, Gus Van Sant, and the Wachowski sisters are now leading filmmakers who have each reshaped the cinematic landscape over the course of their careers. It’s important for us to highlight that these globally revered figures belong to the community and have had such a profound impact on the medium,» says Bohdan Zhuk, director of the SUNNY BUNNY film festival.
By popular demand, this year SUNNY BUNNY has significantly expanded its lineup of sapphic films. Among them is the 1996 queer classic «Bound», the directorial debut of Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the duo behind «The Matrix» trilogy. A festival favorite and Saturn Award nominee, the film follows Corky, an ex-convict working on an apartment renovation. There, her path crosses with the couple living next door, Caesar, a paranoid gangster, and his seductive partner Violet, who feels an immediate pull toward Corky.
Stephan Elliott’s «The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert» made its debut at Cannes in 1994. It quickly became a worldwide sensation, bringing queer stories into the cultural mainstream.
The story follows two drag queens and a trans woman as they journey across the desert to perform their cabaret show. The film features a stellar cast, including Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp.
A French director Cyril Collard adapted «Savage Nights» from his own semi-autobiographical novel. Released in 1992, this was Collard’s sole feature film. As an openly bisexual man living with HIV, he was among the first artists to speak about it publicly. In 1993, «Savage Nights» swept the César Awards, winning Best Film, Best Debut, and Best Editing, while the lead actress, Romane Bohringer, was recognized as Most Promising Actress. Sadly, the director never saw his triumph. He passed away just three days before the ceremony.
The film follows Jean, a young gay man with a fast-paced sex life. His encounters with women, particularly Laura, prompt him to confront his bisexuality. Now, he must navigate a personal crisis and choose between Laura and his boyfriend, Samy.
The program features «My Own Private Idaho» (1991), a landmark of American independent cinema starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix. The film earned Phoenix the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and three Independent Spirit Awards: for Best Actor, Best Screenplay (Gus Van Sant), and Best Original Score (Bill Stafford). «My Own Private Idaho» is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s «Henry IV». The film follows Mike Waters, a narcoleptic street sex worker and Scott Favor, the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, they embark on a journey from Portland to Idaho and eventually to the Italian coast. Along the way they turn to sex work to fund their food and drugs until they catch the eye of a wealthy patron with specific sexual preferences.
Renowned contemporary director Pedro Almodóvar’s «All About My Mother» has earned over 40 international honors, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a César, and a BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film. The film also secured two prizes at Cannes, seven Goya Awards, and the FIPRESCI Prize at San Sebastián. This production remains a defining moment in the career of a filmmaker widely considered the most successful Spanish director of his generation. The story follows Manuela, who, after the tragic death of her teenage son, travels to find his father, a man she lost touch with so long ago that the boy never even knew him. In Barcelona, she reunites with an old friend, an outspoken trans sex worker, and builds an unlikely support system with a restless actress and a pregnant nun living with HIV. A decade ago, the British Film Institute (BFI) ranked both «My Own Private Idaho» and «All About My Mother» among the 30 greatest LGBTQ+ films of all time.
The 90s Retro lineup:
Зв’язок / Bound, Лана Вачовскі, Ліллі Вачовскі / Lana & Lilly Wachowski, США / USA, 1996, 109’
Мій власний штат Айдахо / My Own Private Idaho, Ґас Ван Сент / Gus Van Sant, США / USA, 1991, 104’
Пригоди Прісцилли, королеви пустелі / The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Стефан Елліотт / Stephan Elliott, Австралія / Australia, 1994, 104’
Все про мою матір / All About My Mother, Педро Альмодовар / Pedro Almodóvar, Іспанія, Франція / Spain, France, 1999, 101’
Дикі ночі / Savage Nights, Сіріль Коллар / Cyril Collard, Франція / France, 1992, 126’
SUNNY BUNNY introduces the Ukrainian Queer Shorts Retrospective.
It is no secret that Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ cinema is rare. The festival curators have compiled fiction and documentary works from the past 17 years into a single program. The Films tell stories of the Ukrainian queer community or explore queer life in past decades and the era of Soviet occupation. The selection includes short films that have screened and won awards at Kyiv International Film Festival «Molodist», the Odesa International Film Festival, KISFF, and international forums.
Many of the directors featured in the selection are recognized across Ukraine and Europe for their award-winning films presented at international festivals.
Anatoliy Belov’s 2014 short musical film «Sex, Medicated, Rock 'n' Roll» set to a song by his band «Lyudska Podoba» was one of the first LGBTQIA+ statements in modern Ukraine.
The film is currently being screened at the «A Heart That Beats — Focus on Queer Ukrainian Art» exhibition at Berlin’s Schwules Museum.
The same exhibition showcases another work from our retrospective, the documentary «The Wonderful Years» by Svitlana Shymko and Halyna Yarmanova, which chronicles the lives of lesbians in late Soviet-era Ukraine.
The 2014 documentary «Exarch» by Nadiia Parfan and Mariia Stoianova follows a young Orthodox priest who decides to leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to escape its intolerance and hypocrisy. His new flock includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, alongside those living with AIDS.
The retrospective features two short films by Zhanna Ozirna, «Kittens» and «Bond». Ozirna rose to prominence with her feature film «Honeymoon», which swept three Grand Prix awards at festivals in Sofia, Arras, and Kyiv International Film Festival «Molodist». Her fiction short film «Kittens» captures a conversation in an old Lviv apartment. As the couple dreams of motherhood, they are confronted by conservative social norms and the violation of queer rights. Meanwhile, her documentary «Bond» chronicles a single coming-out story that unfolds over the course of a year.
Oleksiy Radynski’s «Landslide» takes place in 2016, in the heart of Kyiv. At a garage cooperative on the derelict Petrivska Street, street artists, performers, musicians, and DIY engineers gather to build their own utopian space on territory reclaimed by nature from the city.
Yura Katynskiy’s «Aftertaste» competed in the National Competition at the 2017 «Molodist» KIFF and secured top prizes at Lviv’s Wiz-Art, as well as Kyiv’s KISFF and «Vidkryta Nich». The film has screened at Tallinn Black Nights, the Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival, and Schweizer Jugendfilmtage in Switzerland.
Oksana Kazmina’s «The Secret, the Girl and the Boy» won the National Competition at the 2019 Odesa International Film Festival.
Meanwhile, Vitaliy Havura’s queer Roma film «Chacho» received the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2020 Odesa IFF, followed by the Ukrainian Film Critics’ Guild Jury Prize for Best National Film at the 2021 Kamianets-Podilskyi International Film Festival «Brukivka».
Nastya Kanareva’s «Goodbye, Sveta» was awarded a Special Jury Diploma in the National Competition at the 49th «Molodist» in 2020.
Vitaliy Kikot’s «Sad Portraits» won at the 2021 Kyiv International Short Film Festival and earned a special mention at Poland’s «Ukraina! Festiwal Filmowy».
The program also features «Eclipse of My Heart» by Angelik Ustymenko, a filmmaker previously featured in both «Molodist» and SUNNY BUNNY.
The Ukrainian Queer Retrospective lineup:
В мене є друг / I Have a Friend, Дмитро Мойсеєв / Dmytro Moyseyev, 2009, 29’
Секс, лікувальне, рок-н-рол / Sex, Medicated, Rock 'n' Roll, Анатолій Бєлов / Anatoliy Belov, 2014, 11’
Екзарх / Exarch, Надія Парфан, Марія Стоянова / Nadia Parfan, Maria Stoyanova, 2014, 10’
Котики / Kittens, Жанна Озірна / Zhanna Ozirna, 2016, 9’
Зсув / Landslide, Олексій Радинський / Oleksiy Radynski, 2017, 28’
Післясмак / Aftertaste, Юра Катинський / Yura Katynskiy, 2017, 20’
Секрет, Дівчинка та Хлопчик / The Secret, the Girl and the Boy, Оксана Казьміна / Oksana Kazmina, 2018, 13’
Щасливі роки / The Wonderful Years, Світлана Шимко, Галина Ярманова / Svitlana Shymko, Halyna Yarmanova, 2018, 9’
Зв’язок / Bond, Жанна Озірна / Zhanna Ozirna, 2018, 30’
Чачьо / Chacho, Віталій Гавура / Vitalii Havura, 2020, 20’
Прощавай, Свєто / Goodbye, Sveta, Настя Канарьова / Nastya Kanareva, 2020, 20’
Сумні портрети / Sad Portraits, Віталій Кікоть / Vitaliy Kikot, 2021, 30’
Затемнення мого серця / Eclipse of My Heart, Анжелік Устименко / Angelik Ustymenko, 2021, 5’
Ukrainian Queer Retrospective film stills: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EpXRjXMOwN67Qk7iVnrVGg4oAPjHa5tq?usp=sharing
Festival passes are now available: https://kyiv.ticketsbox.com/festival-passes/sunny-bunny-a/
Free passes are available for military personnel.
The festival is supported by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Heinrich Böll Foundation Ukraine, the British Council Ukraine, and German Films.
Short Film Pitching Sponsor — Jagermeister
Creative Partner — McCANN Kyiv advertising agency
Embassies:
Embassy of Canada to Ukraine
Embassy of France to Ukraine
Embassy of Australia to Ukraine
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ukraine
Embassy of the Italian Republic to Ukraine
Italian Cultural Institute in Ukraine
Embassy of Argentina
Embassy of Spain to Ukraine
Embassy of Greece
Main partners:
Pechersk Automotive Center «ILTA»
Ukrainian sock brand «Noskar»
Ukrainian handmade jewelry brand «G-spots»
Industry and Education program partners:
Ukrainian-Danish Youth House
Danish Cultural Institute
Salt Cinema — networking platform and film production
Ukrainian LGBT+ Military
KyivPride
KharkivPride
Fulcrum UA
Drugstore
«The 3rd Place» — educational project on adult autism
«Watch Me Serve» — underground ballroom event series in Kyiv
Hospitality partners:
Pizzeria «Autostantsiya»
Donut shop «Ponchyk Boy»
Podil cafe and bakery «Tisto»
Festival Hotel Partner — Radisson Blu Hotel, Kyiv Podil, City Centre
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