Olga (Anastasia Budiashkina) is a talented 15-year-old gymnast with a bright future that might take her all the way to the Olympics. Given the chance to train in Switzerland, she leaves Kiev just as the Ukraine experiences unprecedented political turmoil. Ruthlessly focused on her training, Olga is left a distant bystander as her mother, an investigative journalist, challenges a brutal regime.

Elie Grappe’s impressive debut is a subtle, tensely handled tale of exile reflecting the pressures on young athletes, the clash between the personal and the political, and a young woman’s search for who she is and what she is prepared to sacrifice.

“★ ★ ★ ★ Anastasia Budiashkina is excellent as a young athlete exiled during the 2014 revolution in this moving drama released to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“★ ★ ★ ★  It’s a compelling, smartly performed movie, with Mikhina mostly low-key and deliberately sullen until the fireworks are finally, and deftly, deployed.” – Kevin Maher, The Times

Director: Elie Grappe, 85 minutes, France, Switzerland, Ukraine, 2021, Cert 15A

Revenue from tickets sales for this Special Screening will be donated to The Irish Red Cross – Ukraine Crisis Appeal

Our guest speakers for this special screening are Sofia Syvak and Marharyta Chemer, two Ukrainian nationals in their 20s who moved to Kildare for their safety a few weeks ago, and Alexey Budnyev from Athy, who will describe the current situation in Kyiv for their families. For those that can’t attend, Sofia and Marharyta recommend donating to the Association of Ukrainians in the Republic of Ireland, an Irish registered Charity. The charity is fundraising towards:
Medical Help Ukraine, a joint project with the Irish government to help Ukrainian hospitals with medical equipment and supply,  https://medicalhelpukraine.com/