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« 2026. # 2 (188)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 2 (188), 581—588

UDK 791.43:327.8 (477)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

  • Received: 10.04.2026
  • Accepted: 14.04.2026
  • Published: ??.??.2026

HEROISM IN UKRAINIAN CINEMA TODAY: SCREEN IMAGE AND ITS TRANSFORMATIONS

SYROTA Liliia

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7237-291X
  • Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor,
  • Ivan Franko National University of Lviv,
  • Department of Socio-Cultural Management,
  • 1, Universytetska Str., 79001, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: liliya.syrota@lnu.edu.ua

Abstract. The concepts of heroism acquire particular significance in the context of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The author proceeds from the assumption that the personality of a soldier at all times (and especially today, when the role of the internet has grown immeasurably and the information space has expanded) is shaped by the culture in which they live and are raised. At the same time, art within this cultural environment plays a significant role. The motifs and plots of works of art, in turn, are determined by the artistic elite of society-directors, actors, screenwriters, and others — as well as by the democratic system, national ideology, and the information space. In this article, the author attempts to examine Ukrainian war-related cinema as a component of the cultural layer in which the characteristics of military personnel and other members of society are formed as heroes and patriots of their country.

Accordingly, the aim of the article is to analyze the types of the modern hero and patriot in Ukrainian cinema; to demonstrate how they transform under the influence of war; to reveal the means of representation (plot, character imagery, emotional impact); as well as the key trends in contemporary Ukrainian cinema, including the heroization of modern military personnel and the combination of the individual and the national.

The relevance of this research topic is determined by the need to emphasize within Ukrainian society those value orientations and ideals that are capable of strengthening national identity and counteracting informational and cultural challenges.

The object of the study is contemporary Ukrainian cinema on war and social themes, while the subject is the directions of artistic realization and the ideological content of the images of the hero and the patriot. The source base consists of recent Ukrainian feature and documentary films, in particular Cyborgs, Myrnyi-21, 20 Days in Mariupol, Myth,The Main Characterand others. The methodological framework of the study includes art historical analysis, comparative, and cultural approaches. The article also demonstrates that the modern Ukrainian cinematic hero is formed not as an individual, but as a collective image, embodying moral resilience, patriotism, responsibility, and the capacity for self-sacrifice not only in wartime conditions but also in peaceful life.

Keywords: hero, patriot, cinema, war, identity, values.

REFERENCES

  • Musiienko, O.S. (2009). Ukrainian cinema: texts and context. Vinnytsia: Hlobus-Pres [in Ukraine].
  • Briukhovetska, L. (Ed.). (2010). Ukrainian cinema from the 1960s to the present. The problem of survival. Kyiv: Editorial board of the journal «Kino-Teatr»: Zadruha [in Ukraine].
  • First, J., & Beumers, B. (Ed.)._(2015). Ukrainian cinema: Belonging and identity during the Soviet Thaw. (KINO — The Russian and Soviet Cinema series). 
  • Briukhovetska, L.I. (2003). Hidden films: Ukrainian cinema of the 1990s. Kyiv: ArtEk [in Ukraine].
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  • Briukhovetska, L.I. (2020). Masters of cinematography. Kyiv: Editorial board of the journal «Kino-Teatr»; Publishing House of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy [in Ukraine].
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  • Punina, O.V. (2012). Cinematization of Ukrainian Literary Discourse (1920s—1930s). Donetsk: DonNU [in Ukraine].
  • Liudvyk, N.M. (2025). Cinema and Legend: Viacheslav Bihun. Kyiv: Interservis [in Ukraine].
  • Sokhach, A. (n. d.). Review of the film «The Tale of the Old Mill». Retrieved March 17, 2026, from: https://itc.ua/articles/reczenziya-na-film-kazka-starogo-melnika/ [in Ukraine].
  • Hryhorenko, M. (n. d.). «Myrnyi-21»: a review of Akhtem Seitablaiev’s film about the honor and bravery of Luhansk border guards. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from: https://www.unian.ua/lite/kino/mirniy-21-oglyad-filmu-ahtema-seitablayeva-pro-luganskih-prikordonnikiv-recenziya-na-film-12157680.html [in Ukraine].
  • Kazymirov, M. (n. d.). Review of the film «Myrnyi-21». Retrieved April 1, 2026, from: https://itc.ua/ua/articles/retsenziya-na-film-myrnyj-21-myrnyi-21/ [in Ukraine].
  • Office of the President of Ukraine. (n. d.). During wartime, culture is even more important than in peacetime. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/u-chas-vijni-kultura-maye-navit-bilshe-znachennya-nizh-u-cha-89613 [in Ukraine].
  • Office of the President of Ukraine. (n. d.). The President met with cultural figures on the eve of the All-Ukrainian Day of Culture Workers and Folk Art Masters. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/prezident-zustrivsya-z-diyachami-kulturi-naperedodni-vseukra-101229 [in Ukraine].
  • Pashchenko, A. (2018). «Cyborgs» by Akhtem Seitablaiev: Weapons and music. Kino-Teatr, 2, 2—3. Retrieved from: https://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/server/api/core/bitstreams/4b8a8369-fd4d-4856-b625-2012ffe2383f/content [in Ukraine].
  • Ukrinform. (n. d.). A special screening of the documentary film «Main Hero» took place in Kyiv. Retrieved February 10, 2026, from: https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-culture/4088828-u-kievi-projsov-specialnij-pokaz-dokumentalnogo-filmu-golovnij-geroj.html [in Ukraine].
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