Join us for a public discussion as part of the “Neighbours' Cinema” festival, hosted by the Re:Open Ukraine initiative.

We’ll explore what we know — and need to know — about the countries of Central Europe. Can cinema and culture serve as drivers of good-neighbourly politics, mutual understanding, and sustainable development in the region? How do culture and politics engage with the topic of national communities?

What exactly do the countries of Central Europe, Ukraine, and its western neighbours know about one another? And why do this knowledge — along with stereotypes and biases — become critically important in the current context: the largest war in Europe since World War II, and the anticipated EU accession of the largest country in Europe — Ukraine.

The discussion will be held in Ukrainian and English. Consecutive interpretation will be provided by the organizers.

Speakers:

– Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Member of Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Freedom of Speech
– András Rácz, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, DGAP
– Linda Kapustová Helbichová, Executive Director, International Visegrad Fund

Moderator: Rosana Tujanska, co-founder of the online platform Varosh and Editor-in-Chief of Re:Open Ukraine 2025

This discussion will serve both as a conclusion and as a highlight of the educational and advocacy program of the “Neighbours' Cinema” festival. It is the result of a strategic partnership and synergy between the festival’s organizing committee and the Institute for Central European Strategy, developed within the Re:Open Ukraine initiative.

The event is part of the project “Fostering Good-Neighbourly Relations in Central Europe for Ukraine’s Successful Accession to the EU”, implemented by the Institute for Central European Strategy with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation, within the joint initiative “Together to the EU”.