This year was quite eventful and productive in terms of cultural achievements. It’s often said that in Ukraine, culture thrives despite obstacles rather than because of them. This statement holds some truth, but it’s difficult to say how things would be different if there hadn’t been a full-scale war with Russia. It’s both sad and paradoxical that we see news about the destruction of cultural monuments alongside reports about the opening of new bookstores and festivals almost every week. This contrast has been a defining feature of the cultural scene in 2023.
Cinema
This year, Ukrainian films have received praise from both critics and audiences. It is worth noting that this achievement is largely due to the work done in the pre-war years. Nonetheless, the range of genres in the films released in 2023 is impressive and sure to please film enthusiasts.
The full-length animated movie “Mavka,” which is based on Lesya Ukrainka’s “Forest Song,” has become the most successful Ukrainian film in the post-independence era, earning over UAH 668 million. Furthermore, this year marked the tenth anniversary of the International Festival of Contemporary Animation and Media Art LINOLEUM, which showcased an incredibly diverse range of domestic and international programs.
Some of the notable films of the year include “Pamfir”, directed by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, and “Luxembourg, Luxembourg”, directed by Antonio Lukich. Another popular movie was “Dovbush”, directed by Oles Sanin – a high-budget film worth UAH 120 million. However, the audience mostly remembered the actor Oleksiy Hnatkovsky, who played the role of Dovbush’s legendary brother, rather than the movie’s plot.
In addition, Ukrainian documentary films are gaining more and more recognition for their powerful storytelling. Some notable films include “Iron Butterflies” by Roman Liubyi, “Ivan and Marta” by Serhiy Bukovsky, and “Independence Day” by Volodymyr Tykhy. However, the most successful film is “20 Days in Mariupol” by Mstyslav Chernov. The film portrays the first three weeks of the Russian siege of the city and has won multiple awards at various film festivals. It has even made it to the shortlist for the Oscars in two categories: “Best International Feature Film” and “Best Feature Documentary.” While it is not yet an official nomination, this is still a significant achievement.
It’s worth noting that the dispute between cinematographers and Maryna Kudurchuk, the head of the State Film Agency, continues. At the Kyiv International Film Festival “Molodist,” there was even a scandal related to this issue: during Kudurchuk’s speech, directors and actors in the audience shouted “Shame.” Many interesting films are expected to be released next year, some of which were already presented in 2023 (such as “La Palisiada” by Philip Sotnychenko). Therefore, we will monitor the film-making process in 2024 closely.
Literature
In the year 2023, four significant book festivals took place, namely “Book Arsenal,” KyivBookFest, Lviv BookForum, and Kyiv Book Weekend. Moreover, at least six publishing houses, namely “Vihola,” RM, “Old Lion Publishing,” Pabulum, “Smoloskyp,” and “Vivat,” presented or launched their series of Ukrainian classics.
The laureates of the National Taras Shevchenko Prize of Ukraine were announced in July, but the announcement was significantly delayed. Katerina Kalytko won in the “Literature” category for her poetry collection titled “Order of Silence.” In the “Literary Studies and Art Studies” category, Mikhaylo Nazarenko won for two volumes titled “Besides ‘Kobzar’: Anthology of Ukrainian Literature 1792–1883”.
In December, the “Book of the Year BBC-2023” announced the winners. The novel “Ladder” by Yevheniya Kuznetsova won the “Book of the Year” award. Ivan Malkovych’s “Anna Yaroslavna: Kyivan Princess – Queen of France” won the “Children’s Book of the Year” award, and Rostyslav Semkiv’s “Adventures of Ukrainian Literature” won the “Essays” category. Oleksandr Mykhed won the Yuri Shevelov Prize for the best Ukrainian essay book titled “Call Sign for Job: Chronicles of Invasion.” Oleksandr Mykhed is a writer, cultural scholar, and cultural manager.
In 2023, there was a surge in book releases in Ukrainian publishing, and almost every month, there was news about the opening of new bookstores, primarily in Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy recently announced joyful news, stating that the production of books in Ukraine increased by 73% in terms of the number of editions and by 203% in terms of print runs compared to 2022, according to the Book Chamber of Ukraine data.
Music
Numerous articles could be written about the musical highlights of the year, but one undeniable indicator of popularity is radio airplay. Recently, FDR Media released a list of the 40 most frequently played songs of 2023 on their radio stations. Out of these, 26 are Ukrainian-language compositions, which I consider as the soundtrack of the year.
1. Antytila, “Fortetsya Bakhmut” (“Fortress Bakhmut”)
3. Artem Pivovarov, “Manifest”
5. Wellboy, “Dodomu” (“Home”)
8. SKOFKA, “Chuty Himn” (“The Anthem is Heard”)
9. Artem Pivovarov and NK, “Tam u topoli” (“There in the Poplar”)
10. YAKTAK and KOLA, “Porichka” (“Currant”)
12. POSITIFF, “Spalakhy” (“Flashes”)
14. Volodymyr Dantes, “Chuyesh” (“Do You Hear”)
15. Zlata Ognevich and Shumei, “Bureviyamy” (“Storms”)
16. KOLA, “Bilia Sertsya”(“Close to the Heart”)
17. YAKTAK and DOVI, “Chekaye Vdoma” (“Waiting at Home”)
18. DOROFEEVA, “Schob ne bulo” (“So There Wouldn’t Be”
21. Bez Obmezhennya, “Dym” (“Smoke”)
22. Okean Elzy and KOLA, “Koly my dvoye” (“When We Two”)
24. Ivan NAVI, “Tam de ty” (“There, Where You Are”) (Bakun Remix)
26. Maksym Borodin, “Yakby ne ty ” (“If It Wasn’t for You”)
28. Anna Trincher, “Zay”
29. MamaRika and KOLA, “Liudy”, (“People”)
30. SKAY, “Ya yii liublyu” (“I Love Her”)
31. ADAM, “Povilno” (“Slowly”)
33. Ivan NAVI, “Na myt” (“For a Moment”)
34. MONATIK and Roxolana, “In-Yan” (“Yin-Yang”)
35. MONATIK, “Kozhnyy raz” (“Every Time”)
36. DOROFEEVA,”WhatsApp.”
37. CHEEV, “Harno take” (“So Beautiful”)
40. Alyona Alyona, “Ne vtratymo zvyazok” (“We Won’t Lose Touch”)
One of the most notable occurrences this year was the triumph of the Klavdia Petrivna project, which initially piqued the listeners’ interest on TikTok and later gained popularity on various streaming platforms.
Theatre
Among the important productions this year, two projects by Ivan Franko National Theatre stand out: David Petrosyan directed Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s “The Visit of the Old Lady,” and Ivan Urvytsky directed Grigoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko’s “The Witch of Konotop”. “The Witch of Konotop” has become a theatrical sensation, with tickets selling out months before the show. Apart from that, Urvytsky has produced “Intrigue and Love,” a play by Friedrich Schiller, while Petrosyan has staged “Earth,” based on the work of Olga Kobylianska. Other notable productions include Semen Hulak-Artemovsky’s “Zaporozhets za Dunaem” (“Zaporozhets beyond the Danube”) at the Lviv National Opera named after Solomiya Krushelnytska, the musical “Tiger Catchers,” based on the novel by Ivan Bagriany, at the National Operetta, and the musical “Cabaret,” directed by Olena Kolyadenko at the Kyiv Young Theatre.
There are two interesting quotes by theatre critic Hanna Veselovska about Ukraine’s theatrical life in 2023. She writes: “Most of the plays being performed daily by Ukrainian theatres in the war-torn country are not considered massive artistic events. Instead, their main goal is to provide the audience with a remedy against disbelief and despair. Since the beginning of 2023, premieres have been constantly pushed into existence with the primary objective of not losing the audience. However, the shows that are record-breaking are those that can influence the audience in a calming, hopeful, and uplifting way. There is no universal recipe for creating successful stage works of this type. Creative groups go blindly, seeking analogies, such as what touched the audience during the last major war”.
When speaking about expectations, realities and genres on a Ukrainian theatrical scene in 2023, Veselovska notes: “The idea of monitoring the psychological state of society based on their attendance and preferences for theatre is still relevant. The recent increase in demand for performances over the past few months highlights the importance of such events to the Ukrainian people. The audience eagerly anticipates the theatrical experience and feels a sense of collective warmth and protection. The theatre atmosphere, the excitement of seeing plays performed again, and the feeling of being part of creating art all contribute to the positive sense of community in the theatre lobbies. This, in turn, encourages the audience to continue choosing the theatre as their preferred cultural activity”.
What about the future?
In 2023, Oleksandr Tkachenko, who was considered one of the least competent heads of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, finally resigned from his office. However, there was no significant improvement in the situation as Rostyslav Karandeyev temporarily took over his duties in July. Half a year has passed, but he hasn’t done anything noteworthy yet.
In 2023, Ukrainian singers are increasingly translating their old Russian-language hits into the Ukrainian language. However, this trend poses a threat of turning into “legalized nostalgia”. Some artists have been opportunistic in using this trend for their benefit, like the Potap and Sergiy Babkin. Nevertheless, the success of Klavdia Petrivna is noteworthy. It is an important year for the new Ukrainisation of our cultural space. One would hope that this is final and irreversible. However, the Verkhovna Rada, with its occasional encroachments on the status of Ukrainian culture and the ongoing war with perpetual alarms, only reinforce the need to be cautiously optimistic about Ukraine’s future. Despite a series of state programs, our culture continues to survive thanks to enthusiasts, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Ukraine which is not accustomed to living against the odds but despite them.
