Silent Flood
The Ukrainian documentary Silent Flood tells the story of a closed religious community—similar to the Amish—whose peaceful existence is threatened by the Russian invasion. The film shows how this pacifist community copes with war, without ever showing a soldier in combat.
The religious community—also known as the “kashketniky”—lives in a beautiful landscape where the front lines of both World War I and World War II once ran. Here on the Dniester River, the villagers live according to their own strict rules, cut off from the outside world. They do not use electricity or modern medicine, do not marry outside the community, and are not allowed to join the military.
The community’s efforts to keep the outside world at bay are disrupted by the annual floods that sweep away everything in their path. When an even more devastating “flood” engulfs Ukraine, the war with Russia leaves the community no choice but to gradually break their own rules. They begin to collaborate with the outside world to help, in their own way, in the fight against their common enemy.
Silent Flood won the award for Best Cinematography in the International Competition at IDFA 2025.
