Niehoff Center for Film & Media Studies kicks off 2026 series
UC hosts film fest with European flair
The Niehoff Center for Film and Media Studies at the University of Cincinnati invites the campus and community to delve into the thought-provoking “2026 UC European Film Series: Perspectives on Our World.”
Five recent films will be screened, with introductions and discussions led by UC faculty. Using a variety of genres and forms, these films encourage audiences to think about their place on the planet, in relation to civic engagement, to the natural world, to others, and even to space aliens in Moravia.
“The series is a mix of realism, reality, comedy, and escapism that we hope will make you see things differently,” said Michael Gott, Neihoff Center director of programming and College of Arts and Sciences professor. “Film can make us rethink our ideas about the world and see things from different perspectives.
"The series tries to do this with some important questions and issues facing us as citizens today: the environment, our roles individually and collectively in society, how we see and treat others, and war and conflict, specifically the war in Ukraine."
Past topics have ranged from artificial intelligence to migration, urban spaces, and women in film. Following each screening, discussions with filmmakers and UC faculty aim to spark meaningful conversations.
Event highlights
Perspectives on Ukraine: Three Short Films (including Romchyk, Kyiv Theater: An Island of Hope, and Teen Angst)
February 22, 1 p.m., Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Cincinnati (with the Cindependent Film Festival.
Romchyk (2025) is a poignant drama inspired by the true-life events of Roman Oleksiv, an 8-year-old Ukrainian boy. Following a deadly missile attack, Romchyk's life is shattered forever. Despite severe burns and wearing a medical mask, he pursues his dream of ballroom dancing, embodying resilience, hope and the enduring human spirit amid tragedy.
Kyiv Theater: An Island of Hope (2024) is the story of 12 days of intensive training that brought together hundreds of Ukranian actors — amateurs, students, and professionals from all over the country — to try their hand at French theater director Ariane Mnouchkine’s unique form of improvisational theater.
Teen Angst (2024) explores what it feels like to grow up in times of war. In a documentary film they developed themselves, nine young Ukrainian women provide a unique insight into their lives - into everyday life in a state of emergency.
Admission is free.
Timestamp. Directed by Kateryna Gornostai (2025)
March 1, 1 p.m., Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Cincinnati (with the Cindependent Film Festival.
Kateryna Gornostai’s documentary is a thorough display of life during wartime. Despite the war, school life continues in Ukraine, with pupils and teachers striving to continue learning even under constant threat. The film is a mosaic of the everyday lives of teachers and students from different corners of Ukraine.
Admission is free.
Meet the Barbarians (Les Barbares). Directed by Julie Delpy (2024)
March 8, 2 p.m. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati
The citizens of the picturesque but struggling French community of Paimpont vote to welcome a handful of Ukrainian refugees only to be caught by surprise when a Syrian family shows up instead. Variety calls actress and director Julie Delpy's latest film “a wildly funny integration comedy.”
Introduction and discussion with professor Michael Gott (French Studies and School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies).
Los Tigres. Directed by Alberto Rodriguez (2025)
March 12, 7 p.m., Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati
Antonio and Estrella are two siblings who work as industrial divers on the coast of Huelva. The relationship between the two of them is complex. After risking their life for decades in the dangerous profession of diving, both are bankrupt, their father's illness and Antonio's bad head have left them broke. The story of an almost amphibious man who’s losing his skills and suddenly has to transform to understand others and to be able to survive in the world that surrounds him and that he doesn’t understand, out of the water.
Introduction and discussion with professor Niall Peach (Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures).
Featured image at top: Still from the film Los Tigres, to be shown during UC's 2026 Niehoff Film Series. Photo: Provided
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