Ukrainian Season In France To Reach Cities Where Cultural Diplomacy Barely Reaches UI Director

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was stated by Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, in a comment to Ukrinform.

“The Ukrainian Season in France is the largest program of bilateral cultural cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, organized with the support and participation of the state. From the very beginning, we envisioned it not just as a program of events for the capital, Paris. We are now leveraging existing connections between Ukrainian and French twin cities. For example, Kharkiv-Lille, Kyiv-Toulouse, Odesa-Marseille,” Sheiko said.

According to him, local authorities in French cities are eager to provide venues and co-financing for projects because they want to see as much Ukrainian art as possible – areas that previously received very little attention from Ukrainian cultural diplomacy. Cities hosting Ukrainian Season events include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes, Nantes, and Strasbourg.

“Lille will host a large number of events to discover Kharkiv. The program will cover the Kharkiv School of Photography, the Kharkiv Independent Theater, Kharkiv visual arts, and discussions about the Kharkiv avant-garde. It will also feature Ilya Repin's painting Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan (one of the two versions is held in Kharkiv museum). This will provide an opportunity to talk with the French about Repin's Ukrainian origins, place him firmly within Ukrainian culture, and discuss the appropriation of Ukrainian classical artists by Russia,” Sheiko explained.

Read also: Russians steal about 23,000 exhibits from Kherson Regional Museum of Local History

He noted that the Ukrainian Institute, together with partners, is distributing a special decolonization guide for museums, explaining how to work with contested or shared artistic heritage, how to label, research, communicate, and promote Ukrainian art whose culture was historically overshadowed by empires.

Among the upcoming events, Sheiko highlighted special evenings dedicated to the great 20th-century filmmaker Oleksandr Dovzhenko.

“I am very pleased that at the beginning of 2026, the largest retrospective of Oleksandr Dovzhenko's films will take place at the famous Paris Cinematheque,” he said.

As reported, the Ukrainian Season officially opened in France on December 1. Over four months, the French public will discover Ukrainian cinema, music, literature, visual, and theater arts.

Photo: Ukrainian Institute

MENAFN13122025000193011044ID1110476459