A trailer has been released for the Ukrainian historical drama "Dissident," directed by Stanislav Hurenko and Andriy Alfyorov, ahead of its cinema release in Ukraine. The film had its world premiere in autumn 2024 at the 42nd Turin Film Festival in Italy.
"Dissident" was the only Ukrainian film selected for the festival's main competition program and received a Jury Special Mention.
The story
The film is set in Kyiv in the autumn of 1968. Oleh, a former fighter with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army who survived years in Soviet labor camps, struggles to find his place in a changing world while still holding onto the ideals of his past struggle. His wife, Vilena, longs for a quiet, ordinary life. Their household is disrupted by the arrival of a writer, Taras, who offers help while concealing his own motives.
What begins as a story about trust and the cost of conviction turns into one of betrayal and entrapment. As a wave of arrests sweeps the city and the line between victim and informant blurs, Oleh is forced to make a choice that will decide his fate.
Archival footage and historical context
According to the filmmakers, work on "Dissident" began in 2018, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the events of 1968, when the Soviet Union abandoned a period of partial liberalization and tightened its grip, and the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops brought the Prague Spring to an end. The filmmakers turned to this period to show how personal choice collides with pressure from the state.
The film incorporates a significant amount of color archival footage from the era, edited together with staged scenes so that the transition between the two is seamless for viewers. The team said their goal was not historical reconstruction, but rather to use the archival material to convey the context surrounding the main character's inner world.
Part of the film's crew is currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A personal story for the co-director
Co-director and co-writer Andriy Alfyorov said "Dissident" is a deeply personal story for him. He said his aunt, translator and human rights activist Hanna Mykhailenko, went through the Soviet system of punitive psychiatry herself, having been declared mentally unfit for her human rights work and confined for seven years in a KGB special psychiatric hospital in Kazan. Alfyorov said much of the film grew out of her accounts, as well as conversations with Ivan Drach and Myroslav Marynovych, and that this was why he wanted to make the film.
Cast and release date
The lead roles in the film are played by Oleksandr Pryshchepa, Viktoria Romashko, Dima Yaroshenko, Vasyl Mazur, Ihor Khalizov and Dasha Tvoronovych.
The film currently holds a rating of 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb.
Distributor Kinomania Film Distribution said "Dissident" will open in Ukrainian cinemas on September 3, 2026.
