Sestry is an initiative launched by the Kulczyk Foundation in 2023. It operates as an online magazine at sestry.eu, with the primary mission of supporting Ukrainian women around the world. Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, millions of people, including women and children, have had to flee the country, seek refuge in other nations, and adapt to a new reality. Sestry aims to inform – about what is happening in Ukraine, the global context of various actions, and the daily challenges faced by refugees and their families.

At Malta Festival, support and sisterhood will also be palpable. In the program section under the patronage of Sestry, attendees will have the opportunity, depending on their personal situation, to learn more about the condition of Ukrainian women worldwide or find their own perspective. The Sestry program includes:

Closed Rooms – an intimate performance where literalness and metaphor seamlessly intertwine. Maria Bruni and Tomasz Mycan portray two people fleeing the war, locked within four walls, sharing their story. Born in Mariupol, Bruni – a resident since 2022 and, as of last year, an actress at Teatr Nowy in Poznań – directed this play to highlight the similarities between war and love and draw attention to the position of Ukrainian women in Polish society.

Kasandra directed by Olha Hryhorash, is an interpretation of the drama of the same name written over 100 years ago by Lesia Ukrainka – a prominent Ukrainian poet, writer, and literary critic. Ukrainka drew on the character of Cassandra from ancient Greek myths. In the myths, the daughter of King Priam was cursed with the gift of prophecy, which was always met with disbelief. Cassandra knows the future that no one else can accept – she must witness tragedies that could have been prevented. This modern take on the story is a work by Teatr Imigrant, a group founded half a decade ago in Poznań by Ukrainian and Belarusian women who needed to channel their self-expression in a foreign country.

The festival will also feature The Hamlet Syndrome, a documentary directed by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski, which portrays a group of young people grappling with the harsh realities of war. Whether they were on the frontlines or not, they are haunted by various traumas, direct consequences of the decade-long armed conflict and the destruction it wreaks. The characters have the opportunity to express themselves on stage, channel their emotions, and find similarities among each other, ultimately experiencing at least partial relief. “The Hamlet Syndrome” is not an easy film to digest, but watching it helps to understand the contemporary world around us. Following the screening at Kino Muza, there will also be a discussion with the filmmakers.

Detailed information about the described events can be found in the Program section.