The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 2 (188), 581—588
UDK 791.43:327.8 (477)
DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2026.02.581
- Received: 10.04.2026
- Accepted: 14.04.2026
- Published: 27.04.2026
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.
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