The Illusion of a Quiet Night (Cinecity)

Part of Cinecity 2026 at Depot

Filmed during a single night by forty filmmakers and hundreds of citizens across Ukraine, The Illusion of a Quiet Night paints a broad collective portrait of a nation living with war. Between fear and exhaustion, moments of joy and scenes of the ordinary day-to-day, we watch as life goes on in spite of everything, witnessing the resilience of a nation gripped by uncertainty.

Russia's attacks on civilian sites in its war on Ukraine often happen at night. On the night of July 27 2025, forty cinematographers spread out across every region of Ukraine – from northern forests to southern steppes, from front line positions to cities still absorbing the shock of air raids – to document a single summer night in a country four years into war.