Cultural coalition against Russian aggression – Focus on Ukraine series returns to Budapest

As Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine enters its fifth year in February 2026, sustaining public attention, clarity of vision, and solidarity grows ever more challenging. The Focus on Ukraine series rises to this challenge by offering perspectives beyond the daily news cycle: it places personal experiences and shared responsibility at the forefront through films, exhibitions, and expert discussions.

Running in Budapest from 24 February to 6 March, this second edition is a grand collaboration involving thirteen European cultural institutes and embassies. The opening night features the Oscar-winning Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov’s documentary 20 Days in Mariupol.

“Our principal aim is for the Hungarian public to encounter the war not merely through news reports, but via human stories, artistic works, and personal testimonies,” says Adéla Gálová, director of the Czech Centre and initiator and coordinator of the programme. “Our events reveal connections that daily headlines cannot convey.”

Focus on Ukraine acts as a multifaceted cultural lens. Through film, fine art, and themed conversations, it reflects on crisis, loss, and resilience, delineating the clear distinction between aggressor and victim, fostering empathy, and aiding comprehension of a just and sustainable peace.

This year’s slogan is: Focused. United. Strong. “We are grateful to all who stand with Ukraine and refuse to look away from the terror Russia continues to perpetrate. We urge audiences to attend these events, to grasp the reality of this war: why Ukraine persists in its self-defence, why justice and accountability are indispensable to peace, and how Ukraine collaborates with its American and European partners to forge a lasting, secure future,” emphasises Dr Sándor Fegyir, Ukraine’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Hungary.

Opening night from the front line

The series opens on 24 February with Mstyslav Chernov’s Pulitzer- and Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol. Shown only once before in Hungary, this harrowing work tracks a small military unit’s two-kilometre advance to liberate a village reduced to rubble. Chernov—the director of 20 Days in Mariupol—portrays the war’s physical and moral realities with unflinching precision. The film stands as a poignant tribute to the courage and sacrifice of Ukrainian soldiers. The screening is co-organised by the Ukrainian Embassy, Ukraine’s parliamentary spokesperson in Hungary, and the Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

Cinematic testimonies

The documentary selection spotlights Oksana Karpovych’s Eavesdropping (25 February, French Institute), pairing images of devastated Ukrainian landscapes with intercepted Russian military phone conversations. This hypnotic film exposes the normalisation of aggression and the mechanisms of alienation.

The Dutch Embassy’s screenings centre on human endurance. Lifeline depicts the life-saving efforts of Ukrainian railway workers evacuating civilians from war zones amid relentless attacks. On the same evening comes Eddy’s War, following renowned war photographer Eddy van Wessel along the front lines.

FinnAgora and the Estonian Embassy present two distinct viewpoints. Christmas Joy to Ukraine traces a 2019 Finnish aid convoy to illuminate the long prelude to Russian aggression, while the short film What Would You Take With You? recounts twelve refugee stories through personal possessions, speaking to home, loss, and identity.

The British Council’s programme features Love+War, which examines the responsibilities, personal tolls, and stakes of authentic reporting for journalists in conflict zones—via the work of Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario—with particular focus on the Ukrainian war.

On 25 February, the Czech Centre will screen the documentary Rooted, which tells the stories of four ethnic communities in Ukraine – Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Jews and Hungarians – about memory, identity and diversity in a war-torn society. The screening will be followed by an international panel discussion.