From 25 to 27 July 2025, Cinema São Jorge in Lisbon will host the PROMIN’ festival – an event that will present a curated programme of contemporary Ukrainian cinema, video art and public discussions in the Portuguese capital for the first time. This was announced by the organisers in a press release.
The word “PROMIN’” (eng. “ray”) is a symbol of light, vision and Ukraine’s cultural presence in Europe.
“Today, it is especially important for the Ukrainian art community to be visible, to manifest itself and to express itself. PROMIN’ gives us this opportunity. After all, contemporary art does not illustrate events – it sprouts through the body, memory and experience. What seems personal actually speaks to the collective. So our festival is a space for presence, sensuality, action and mutual support,” says Maryna Huts, contemporary art curator and founder of the PROMIN’ festival.
The festival will open on Friday, 25 July, at 7 p.m. with an official ceremony, followed by a screening of the feature film Forever-Forever by director Anna Buryachkova and a Q&A session after the screening.
“Light is born in the darkest times – it is sustained by tenderness, empathy, and love. We are not here to remind people of pain, but to tell stories of hope, struggle, and resilience.
We are not just survivors. We are creators, dreamers, witnesses. We know how to stand in a world that is falling apart and at the same time carry voices full of life, memory, resistance and beauty that sprouts even through cracks. PROMIN’ brings these stories to the world – so that they can be seen, heard and remembered. That is what cinema is for,” continues Anna Buryachkova, director and co-curator of the PROMIN’ festival.
The PROMIN’ festival is a space for conversation, solidarity and deep connection through art. International cooperation and the visibility of Ukrainian voices are key to maintaining Ukraine’s presence in the global cultural dialogue.
The festival programme includes the films Forever-Forever by Anna Buryachkova, Fragments of Ice by Maria Stoyanova, Timestamp by Kateryna Hornostay, La Palisiada by Philip Sotnychenko, and others.
The discussion panel will feature Maria Kulikovska, Maria Proshkovska, Zoya Laktionova, Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimey, Lena Kovach, Piotr Armanovskyy, and others.
The event will take place at Cinema São Jorge, Lisbon (Av. da Liberdade 175, 1250-096).
The festival is organised in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine in Portugal, the Embassy of Portugal in Ukraine, and the Shcherbenko Art Centre.