TIMESTAMP
is a documentary about Ukrainian schools, teachers and children during the full-scale-war by KATERYNA GORNOSTAI, a renowned Ukrainian screenwriter and director. It is a story of a nation’s strength, embodied in individual human faces, and a tool of cultural diplomacy.
It portrays Ukrainian schools as symbols of resilience, where teachers and students persevere under extraordinary circumstances.
About the movie
Keeping schools open in Ukraine is an attempt to recreate at least some of the normal life they had before the war — until February 24, 2022 (and in some regions even earlier, in 2014).
Without the interviews, narration and reenactments, TIMESTAMP provides an insight into how the war is affecting the daily lives of students and teachers.
The film has a mosaic-like structure: it explores how a school functions in-person and online in these terrible times, both on and off the frontline, how day-to-day life is intertwined with constant danger.
TIMESTAMP has been invited to the Competition of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. This is the first time in 25 years that a film by Ukrainian filmmaker participates in the main competition of Berlinale.
KATERYNA GORNOSTAI is a scriptwriter and director who lives and works in Kyiv, and teaches film directing. STOP-ZEMLIA, the director’s feature-length debut, premiered in the Generation 14+ competition at the Berlinale International Film Festival in 2021, where it received a “Crystal Bear” award from the Youth Jury.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
ZOYA LYTVYN, Executive Producer. OSVITORIA is Ukraine’s leading educational NGO, which has been a key partner to the state and international organizations in major transformations for the last 11 years. During the Russian-Ukrainian war, OSVITORIA has focused on restoring education for all 7 million children affected by the war.
Olha Beskhmelnytsina & Natalia Libet, Producers. 2BRAVE PRODUCTIONS connects a new generation of Ukrainian filmmakers to the global film industry. Founders Olha Beskhmelnytsina and Natalia Libet have garnered acclaim for bringing exciting new names to audiences at home and abroad. With their experience and unique access to Ukrainian talents, they work together in bringing this force to the market by structuring international coproduction with traditional and alternative financing.
2BRAVE PRODUCTIONS in association with OSVITORIA (Ukraine), in coproduction with a_BAHN (Luxemburg), RINKEL DOCS (The Netherlands), in association with CINEPHAGE PRODUCTIONS (France).
TIMESTAMP has been invited to the Competition of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 13 to 23, 2025.
Our international team also includes Claudia Tomassini and Ryan Werner / Cinetic Media, Alphapanda and Think-Film Impact Production.
The goal of the film is not only to draw attention to the challenges faced by Ukrainian education but also to raise funds for the restoration of schools destroyed by the war. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, approximately 3,000 educational institutions have been damaged, with 400 completely destroyed.
PARTNERS
