TORONTO — As Ukrainian filmmakers continue documenting life under Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF) co-presented with St. Volodymyr Institute (SVI) will present a powerful lineup of award-winning films from Cannes, TIFF, and major international festivals when it returns to The Royal Cinema April 16–19, 2026. 
 

Highlights include Militantropos (Cannes Director’s Fortnight), Valentyn Vasanovych’s To the Victory (TIFF Platform Award winner), and Adelina Borets’ acclaimed documentary Flowers of Ukraine.

“TUFF was created to support Ukrainians and the filmmakers who continue to tell their stories despite Russia’s invasion,” said Roman Lysiak, Founder of the Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival. “This year’s program showcases filmmakers whose work stands among the most powerful voices in contemporary world cinema. They are acts of cultural resistance that safeguard memory, challenge disinformation, and ensure that Ukrainians tell their own story.”
 

The 2026 program brings together formally daring documentaries, narrative features, and darkly comic works, offering Canadian audiences an urgent window into contemporary Ukrainian life. This year’s feature selection includes:
 

• Sanatorium, directed by Gar O’Rourke (Documentary) — A visually alluring portrait of a Soviet-era health resort where visitors seek healing and meaning through ritual. Winner: Best Irish Feature Documentary, Galway Film Fleadh; nominee, CPH:DOX.
 

• Cuba and Alaska, directed by Yegor Troyanovsky (Documentary) — An intimate portrait of two Ukrainian frontline medics whose dark humor and friendship sustain them amid the trauma of war. Winner: Best Documentary, Rome Film Fest.
 

• The Fatigued, directed by Yuriy Dunay (Drama) — Two war veterans living with physical injuries and PTSD struggle to rebuild their lives and find hope in each other. Winner: Grand Prix (Scythian Deer), Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival.
 

• Militantropos, directed by Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova and Simon Mozgovyi (Documentary) — A visually striking exploration of how war permeates everyday civilian life in Ukraine. Official Selection: Director’s Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival.
 

• Do You Love Me?, directed by Tonya Noyabrova (Drama) — In late Soviet Ukraine, a teenage girl’s certainty about the world begins to unravel. Winner: Best Actress, Ukrainian Film Critics Awards.
 

• To the Victory, directed by Valentyn Vasyanovych (Docu-Drama) — In postwar Kyiv, a filmmaker struggles with separation from his family and the emotional aftermath of war. Winner: Platform Award, Toronto International Film Festival.
 

• Flowers of Ukraine, directed by Adelina Borets (Documentary) — A fiercely independent Kyiv woman defends her home against developers and later Russia’s invasion. Winner: Grand Prix Best Documentary & Audience Award, Créteil International Women’s Film Festival.
 

Responding to the growing urgency and volume of Ukrainian cinematic work, TUFF 2026 also marks a major expansion of programming with the introduction of a dedicated short film section, presented for the first time in the festival’s history, programmed by Nataliya Bek-Gergard. The inaugural shorts lineup includes award-winning films:

It’s a Date (Nadia Parfan), Dreamtracks (Margaryta Winkler), Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid (Vyacheslav Turyanytsya), Roots (Liliya Syvytska), OFF-Time (Nata Metlukh), The Border at Tolstoi (Bob Kotyk), Life in Between (Iryna Lytvynova), and Prelude (Alina Panasenko).
 

In addition to screenings, TUFF 2026 will include an industry networking event in partnership with Connekt Film, and community-focused programming designed to foster dialogue between filmmakers, scholars, and audiences.
 

Founded in 2023, TUFF has raised more than $75,000 for humanitarian aid and supported vital initiatives through organizations including the Canada Ukraine Foundation and the Second Front Foundation. Toronto is home to one of the largest Ukrainian diasporas in the world, making TUFF an important cultural platform for Ukrainian voices in North America.
 

Individual screening tickets are $25. Early bird pricing available until March 27th. For tickets and more information visit tuff.film. #TUFF2026 | YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The Royal is located at 608 College St., Toronto, Ontario M6G 1B4.

 

The Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF) is a non-profit film festival celebrating contemporary Ukrainian cinema on the world stage. Showcasing acclaimed and emerging films from major festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, and TIFF, it fosters Ukrainian-Canadian collaborations and new opportunities for filmmakers. Founded in 2023 by Roman Lysiak, TUFF highlights stories of bravery, love, compassion, and resistance through the power of film.
 

TUFF gratefully acknowledgements sponsor support from the following:
 

• Myhal Family Foundation

• Toronto Ukraine Foundation

• Huculak Foundation

• Ihnatowycz Family Foundation

• Temerty Foundation

• Ukrainian Credit Union (UCU)

• Shevchenko Foundation