Photophobia (film)

Photophobia is a 2023 docudrama film written and directed by, and Pavol Pekarčík. It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in the Giornate degli Autori sidebar, in which it won the Europa Cinemas Label Award. A co-production between Slovakia, Czech Republic and Ukraine, it was shot in Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

The film was selected as the Slovak entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Plot
The daily life of a Ukrainian family who live in the tunnels of the Kharkiv subway station to protect themselves from the Russian bombings.

Cast

 * Nikita Tyshchenko as Niki
 * Viktoriia Mats as Vika
 * Yana Yevdokymova as Niki's mother
 * Yevhenii Borshch as Niki's stepfather
 * Anna Tyshchenko as Anya, Niki's sister
 * Vitaly Pavlovitch as Cowboy

Accolades
Photophobia won the Youth Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 22d International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights.