Film Night: OLGA | Mackay

2021 / Switzerland / France / Ukraine / M / Drama / Various languages, English subtitles

OLGA is the story of a young female Ukrainian gymnast, played by real-life former Ukrainian national team member Anastasia Budiashkina, who is exiled from her homeland to chase her Olympic dreams.

Her mother, an investigative journalist, is left behind to face danger and violence while reporting on the civilian (Euromaidan) uprising in 2013 following President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to align the country’s ties to Russia instead of the European Union. The historic events depicted in the film are intricately linked with the subsequent Russian invasion, providing rich insight into the current situation in the world – through the lens of mother and daughter – and within the world of elite sport.