The official poster for “A Simple Soldier,” directed by Juan Camilo Cruz and featuring Artem Ryzhykov. The film, which explores themes of conflict and human resilience, was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025. (Source: TIFF we
The documentary A Simple Soldier by Ukrainian cinematographer Artem Ryzhikov and Colombian-German director Juan Camilo Cruz has been selected for the documentary program at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the press release confirmed on August 6.
In the film’s synopsis, it is noted: “He doesn’t fully leave the cinema—he often holds both a camera and a weapon in his hands. Artem documents the chaos and despair of war while trying to stay connected to his family and young wife, waiting for him at home. As he grows closer to his comrades and confronts the brutal realities of combat, we witness the unfolding of a deeply personal story. This is the human experience of war—about love, friendship, duty, and what it means to retain humanity amidst it all.”
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The world premiere of A Simple Soldier took place at one of Europe’s largest documentary film festivals, Sheffield DocFest, held in the UK from June 18-23.
This year’s TIFF will take place from September 4-14.
In the Platform Award section, which celebrates “author films with distinctive directorial visions” that introduce new international voices, another Ukrainian movie, the dystopian film To Victory! by director Valentyn Vasyanovych will also be showcased, DTF Magazine reported.
To Victory! takes place in post-war Ukraine, a country that won the war but “lost its society.” The plot centers around a disillusioned director trying to find meaning in life after a career failure. He lives separately from his wife and daughter, who refuse to return to the “war-torn country,” yet they hold onto hope that the hard times will eventually pass and things will return to normal.
At Sarajevo Film Festival four Ukrainian films were selected for competitive programs. This year, out of 1,036 films, only 50 were chosen, as the competition programme on Sarajevo Film Festival website states.
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