Inspired by the events around the life of Lev Rebet, Ukrainian author and editor-in-chief of the Munich-based exile newspaper „Ukrainian Independist“, “Critical Condition” portrays the fates of the Ukrainian diaspora in the past and present.
Year of production 2025 Length 24' CountryGermany Shooting Format 16mm Aspect Ratio 1:1,37 Dialogue Ukrainian, Russian
DirectorMila Zhluktenko Producer Michael Kalb Production Company Michael Kalb Film Production Co-Production CompanyBayerischer Rundfunk, in cooperation with Arte and University of Television and Film Munich Funded by FilmFernsehFonds Bayern Writer Mila Zhluktenko Cinematographer Tobias Blickle Editors Daniel Asadi Faezi, Mila Zhluktenko Production DesignerLeonie Lindner Costume DesignerKristina Kilian Sound DesignerGerhard Auer, Philip Hutter Music Marja Burchard Makeup and Hair Alyssia Achille Production Sound Mixer Philip Hutter Cast Ihor Shulha, Vita Smachelyuk, Sebastian Anton, Lisa Moskalenko, Volodymyr Melnyk, Yevgen Bondarskyy, Oleksandr Pozharskyi, Valeriia Berezovska, Valeriia Kuzmenko
Director's Statement As a Ukrainian living in Munich since a long time, I myself only discovered the traces of the Ukrainian past in my city quite late on. While researching, I came across the biographies of Lev Rebet and his wife Dariia Rebet, who lived in exile in Munich after 1945. Both represented modern, democratic political attitudes. In Germany, they published a newspaper for the Ukrainian diaspora and tried to imagine the future of a free, independent Ukraine as part of a democratic Europe, even if it seemed very far away. Now, when independence of Ukraine has to be fought for again, I think that looking back into history can provide insight and strength. Today's war is being waged largely over the Ukrainian language, history and culture, which has been marginalized for a long time. As an Ukrainian filmmaker I feel the urge in engaging with our history and approaching it with the means of cinema. In „Critical condition“ we are spanning an arch from Munich in 1957, the year when Lev Rebet was assassinated by the KGB, until today and try to show the continuities of the critical conditions in which Ukrainians over generations find themselves in, while also highlighting the place, where the stories takes place. By illuminating the narrative from an artistic perspective I hope to create space for reflection between the images.
