filmstill To Dance is to Resist
Art
Music
Berlin Premiere

To Dance is to Resist

Julian Lautenbacher / Ukraine, Germany / 2026 / 89 min

In Kyiv’s vibrant underground, the couple Jay and Vol’demar find refuge. As part of the queer dance scene, they navigate both ecstasy and harsh reality, facing exclusion while forging community. Since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the film follows their lives between club nights and crisis. For them, dance becomes a survival strategy, providing a space for visibility, intimacy, and self-assertion, while a world outside threatens to undermine it all.

Q&A

29.05. / Kater
Julian Lautenbacher
Director

Q&A

02.06. / b-ware! Ladenkino
Julian Lautenbacher
Director
Julian is a German artist and filmmaker based between Kyiv and Berlin. Since 2021, they have worked on an ongoing project documenting Kyiv during the full-scale war, capturing its intimate and political dimensions. With a background in film, photography, sound design, and music, Julian’s work explores intimacy, social structures, and human connection across cultures. They are a founding member of the artist collective Progressive Movement, focused on LGBTQI+ rights and resistance in Ukraine.
Nadiia Khatymlianska
Editor
Nadiia Khatymlianska was born in Kyiv, where she studied language and literature. After witnessing revolution and war, she pursued her long-standing interest in directing and began film studies in Kyiv, developing a strong focus on editing. Following the full-scale invasion, she moved to Berlin, completed a guest semester at Film University Babelsberg, and earned an MA in Directing from Hamburg Media School. She has professional experience editing fiction, commercial, and documentary projects.
Sasha Ongley
Producer
Sasha ist eine britisch-amerikanische Filmemacherin mit Sitz in Berlin und einem Hintergrund in Leadership Studies, Humangeografie und Dokumentarfilm. Sie ist Gründungsmitglied von Progressive Movement Film Production und verfolgt einen kuratierten, internationalen Ansatz im Filmemachen mit Fokus auf marginalisierte, gemeinschaftsbasierte Geschichten. Als Produzentin stellt sie die emotionale und kulturelle Ausrichtung der Projekte sicher und arbeitet zudem als Drehbuchautorin und Editorin mit.
Daniella Tamayo Correa
Moderator
Daniella Tamayo Correa is a Colombian sociologist and researcher based in Berlin. She specialized in culture management before doing an MA in visual anthropology. Her research explores the intersections of culture, gender, migration, leisure, and work. Former researcher on human rights and armed conflict, currently working on collaborative filmmaking practices.

Trailer

Credits

Year 2026
Production Countries Ukraine, Germany
Runtime 89 min
FSK Not rated
Languages Ukrainian, English
Subtitle English
Premiere Status Berlin Premiere
Director Julian Lautenbacher
Producers Julian Lautenbacher, Sasha Ongley
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