In a few years, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy has emerged as arguably the best-known contemporary Ukrainian filmmaker (the only other competitor being Sergei Loznitsa). With just his first feature, the sensational and stunning The Tribe (2014), filmed entirely in sign language without subtitles or voiceover, he’s conquered the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week and garnered acclaim at festivals around the world. But before this, Slaboshpytskiy made several shorts which declared him one of the most promising talents.

His very first work, The Incident, stated his boldness and uncompromising vision. Unlike many Ukrainian directors of our time, he’s stepped away from the tradition of poetic cinema that once dominated the country’s filmmaking (since Parajanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors) and still has great influence on the contemporary scene – instead focusing on realism and not shying away from dark social themes and issues faced by post-soviet Ukraine.

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