Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk has released the first trailer for his documentary film Silent Flood ahead of its national theatrical debut. Film distribution company Adastra Cinema confirmed that the picture is scheduled to open in Ukrainian cinemas on October 29, 2026.
The film focuses on a closed religious community living along the banks of the picturesque Dniester River. Members of the community consciously reject modern technological conveniences, relying instead on horse-drawn carts and traditional agricultural tools to farm their land. Despite decades of passing wars and severe seasonal flooding, the residents have preserved their isolated social order, keeping their customs, daily routines, and views on war and peace hidden from the outside world until now.
Origins along the Dniester River
Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk first encountered the riverbank settlement in 2005 while taking part in river rafting expeditions along the border between the Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions in western Ukraine. The Dniester River basin in this area flows through a dramatic canyon landscape known for its secluded villages and historic riverfront settlements.
The director recalled stopping at the hidden village whenever his expedition group navigated past on rafts or catamarans. He noted that his initial visit felt like a return to childhood and remained vivid in his memory over the following two decades.
During multi-day river journeys, travelers felt comfortable leaving their supplies on the riverbank without supervision. Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk explained that local residents welcomed visitors warmly and assured them that theft did not exist in their village, describing their openness as disarming.
Themes and international awards
The director characterized Silent Flood as a fresco-like observation exploring the cyclical nature of war, drawing parallels between human conflict and the recurring floods that regularly submerge the surrounding river valley.
The documentary has already achieved significant international recognition across major European film festivals. Silent Flood earned the directing award at the Krakow International Film Festival in Poland, an event established in 1961 that stands among Europe's oldest venues for non-fiction cinema.
The picture also won the award for best cinematography at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, known as IDFA, in the Netherlands. IDFA is widely recognized as one of the premier global festivals dedicated exclusively to non-fiction filmmaking.
At the Jerusalem International Film Festival, the documentary received the Chantal Akerman Prize for Experimental Documentary Film. The award honors innovative and avant-garde techniques in non-fiction storytelling, named after the influential Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman. Ukrainian audiences received their first opportunity to view the film in June 2026 during the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Kyiv.
Director background and Pamfir success
Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk is an author, director, founder of the Terrarium screenwriting platform, and a member of both the Ukrainian Film Academy and the European Film Academy. Terrarium operates as an independent script laboratory in Ukraine aimed at nurturing original filmmaking talent.
He achieved widespread international and domestic acclaim with his 2022 feature debut, the crime thriller Pamfir. That film was selected for the prestigious Directors Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival in France and became one of the top-grossing domestic titles in Ukrainian cinema distribution that year.
Pamfir went on to dominate national film honors, winning 11 Golden Dzyga national film awards and five Kinokolo film critics awards, including top prizes for best film, best director, best screenplay, and best debut from both bodies.
