Ukrainian and Ukrainian-language Films, Music, Podcasts and Books: Where to Find Them and How to Use

FILMS AND SERIES

1. TAKFLIX

TAKFLIX — the first and only online cinema dedicated to Ukrainian cinema, launched in December 2019. The project aims to make Ukrainian films available for legal viewing worldwide, support the national film industry and attract viewers to high-quality Ukrainian content.

The platform has gathered the biggest collection of Ukrainian films, offering users a diverse selection ranging from cinema classics and international festival winners to debut works by young directors and artistic documentaries. In response to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Takflix donates 10% of each ticket sale to one of the largest Ukrainian funds «Come Back Alive» and 50% of the ticket revenue goes directly to the filmmakers.

To watch a film, simply select it from the catalogue, click «Watch» and purchase an online ticket. The process is just like at the cinema: one ticket — one film. After payment, the selected film will be available for viewing for 7 days (168 hours) in the «My Cinema» section. Most films are accessible for viewing worldwide, and if any territorial restrictions apply, this information will be displayed in a dialogue box during the ticket purchase process.

Android users can install the Takflix app from Google Play, and iPhone and iPad owners can download it from the App Store. With the apps, you can easily stream films to Smart TVs via Chromecast (Android) or AirPlay (iOS).

You can also connect a plasma TV via a browser or HDMI cable. To connect through a browser, purchase a ticket from your phone or laptop and display the window with the active player on the plasma screen. Connecting a laptop to the plasma with an HDMI cable allows you to use the plasma as an external monitor.

Most films are shown in 4K or Full HD (1920*1080) with stereo or 5.1 sound, which is indicated by corresponding icons on the film’s page.

Takflix does not offer a subscription in the traditional sense. Instead, there are five membership levels, ranging from approximately $4.5 to $45, depending on the level.

Takflix collaborates with international organizations, introducing viewers to Ukrainian cinema, iconic foreign films and new releases. In cooperation with the London Short Film Festival, Takflix held the online short film festival «7+7.» They also organized the «Coming Out of Isolation» project with the IZOLYATSIA Foundation and KyivPride. In 2020 and 2021, Takflix, together with the Polish Institute in Kyiv, held the online festival «Days of Polish Cinema, ” and in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute in London, they organized the Ukrainian Film Festival in the UK. They also created the online project „OIFF Flashback“ with the Odesa International Film Festival.

2. WEEKNO

WEEKNO is the biggest online platform for Ukrainian music. It was created by the Ukrainian Music Development Fund and the IT company Russell EVE Enterprise to promote Ukrainian music. The platform exclusively features Ukrainian (Ukrainian-language) songs and audio recordings that incorporate Ukrainian and other languages within a single track.

All songs on the WEEKNO platform are sourced from YouTube. Currently, the site hosts over 23,000 songs from more than 3,000 artists.

WEEKNO has a «Video Top» section which is divided into four categories, each based on the number of listens. For example, «Bright Top» includes tracks with up to 100,000 views and «Star Top» features those with over 5 million views. Detailed statistics are available for each track. Additionally, WEEKNO offers artist rankings that are updated weekly, monthly and yearly, based on the total number of YouTube views of all songs by each artist during the selected period. These views are displayed in green in the right column of the table next to each artist’s name. Each artist on the WEEKNO platform has their own page where you can find all their videos and songs. Users can listen to all the tracks from their favorite artists without ads by clicking «Play all songs.» This unique WEEKNO feature allows users to fully immerse themselves in the music.

WEEKNO also offers an «Our Recommendations» or «Playlists» section, which includes:

• Bright Playlist — new songs and works by young artists, featuring a lot of indie, rock, avant-garde and experimental music
• Silver Playlist — well-known songs that have already been or are just starting to be broadcast on the radio, perfect for leisure and creating a good mood
• Golden Playlist — popular Ukrainian hits, ideal for cafes, shops or beauty salons
• Star Playlist — Ukraine’s super hits, the most popular songs that deserve the love and respect of music connoisseurs.

3. JARVIS

JARVIS is an assistant for selecting films with Ukrainian dubbing. To receive a list of film recommendations, users simply need to indicate their mood and, optionally, additional parameters such as genre or the film’s release year range. The platform allows users to mark films they’ve watched, rate them and more.

By default, the search options include categories like «Light Films, ” „Interesting Films, ” „Intense Films“ and „Dramas.“ In the additional parameters, the selection is broader — up to 43 categories. The search covers films from 1920 to the present. If you’re unsure which film to choose, you can use the orange buttons „Jarvis, advise“ or „I’m feeling lucky.“

Currently, the assistant only provides information about films with Ukrainian audio tracks. Its recommendations are based on various characteristics, including an expanded rating system with eleven parameters, each rated from 1 to 5. For example, if a film is categorized as a comedy but rated as not funny by viewers, Jarvis takes this into account and recommends genuinely funny films rated by the audience.

When registered on the platform, users can access features like «Save for later» and «Dislike» as well as special filters for families with children to watch films when kids are around.

Once a registered user rates at least five films they liked or disliked, the AI algorithms will start to understand their preferences. When the AI identifies these preferences, the «Personal Recommendations» option will become available under the «Jarvis, advise» button where the assistant will filter out films that may not be liked and prioritize films enjoyed by users with similar tastes.

Thanks to integration with services like Megogo, YouTube and Vimeo, Jarvis users can watch over 700 films in Ukrainian for free. The website overall offers nearly 10,000 films.

4. KINOBAZA

KINOBAZA — the Ukrainian equivalent of IMDb — is a platform for film and series connoisseurs that has been operating since 2016. While the site doesn’t provide the option to watch films and series, it offers a variety of articles, info about series and films and convenient detailed search and filtering options. Users can search through a database of 330,000 films and series and nearly 4 million people, find out all the details about films, including box office earnings in Ukraine and Ukrainian trailers.

By registering on KINOBAZA, users can create watchlists for future viewing, rate films and series they’ve watched and subscribe to reminders about the release of new films in cinemas or on digital platforms, as well as the release of new series episodes.

On KINOBAZA you can add films and series to watch later, create lists of your favorite and least favorite films and series, rate what you’ve watched and share your impressions. The platform also offers personalized recommendations based on your ratings, the options of adding favorite actors to lists and creating and commenting on private and public lists to share your favorite films or actors.

BOOKS

1. ABUK

ABUK — the first audiobook store in Ukraine, positioning itself as a platform where you can find «new audiobooks for smartphones and tablets in the best quality.»

ABUK produces audiobooks in professional recording studios, with books being voiced by actors, radio hosts and TV presenters. The service also offers audiobooks narrated by the authors themselves.

Books or their Ukrainian translations are presented without abridgement or adaptation, staying true to the printed versions.

A wide selection of audiobook genres is available, along with various book collections, including particularly interesting ones like «Exclusive to ABUK, ” „Books by Female Ukrainian Authors“ and „Literature of Independence.“

Access to audiobooks is paid. For example, the cost of the book «The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History» by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (12 hours and 36 minutes) is $6.99 in the App Store and $6.82 in Google Play. The book «The Great President of a Small Country: The Story of Dalia Grybauskaitė» by Daiva Ulbinaitė (7 hours and 4 minutes) also costs $6.99 in the App Store and $6.82 in Google Play. Serhiy Zhadan’s «Voroshilovgrad» (11 hours and 31 minutes) is priced at $7.99 in the App Store and $7.80 in Google Play. However, there are cheaper options available, such as «The Knight of Freedom» by Dzhokhar Dudaiev, which is $5.99 in the App Store and $5.85 in Google Play, due to a runtime of 4 hours and 57 minutes.

For those interested in free content, ABUK offers a «Free» section with audiobooks available at no cost.

Special attention should be given to the free «Podcasts» section.

2. LIBRARIUS

Librarius — a Ukrainian app for reading and listening to e-books and audiobooks on your smartphone, available both online and offline. Users can rent or purchase contemporary books and access thousands of free publications.

You can rent e-books or purchase them at a discounted price within up to 14 days. Purchased books remain in the user’s library indefinitely, while access to rented books expires once the rental period ends.

For convenience in book selection, Librarius offers a feature that allows users to preview 10% of any e-book for free. This preview enables users to assess the content and gauge the author’s style before deciding to buy or rent the book.

Most books available on Librarius are highly rated on the Goodreads book portal which boasts a multimillion audience.

Subscription plans are available for 1 month ($4.61), 3 months ($12.16) and 6 months ($21.91), enabling users to choose the option that suits them best.

The project also offers a free English-language library, FutuLib, as part of the Future Perfect language program — an initiative by the President of Ukraine to promote English in Ukraine. Readers can choose books by genre and language proficiency level: «Beginner / Basic, ” „Intermediate“ and „Advanced.“

For company managers, Librarius provides the «Librarius Corporate Library» as an alternative to expensive corporate training programs. This service allows employees to access a library on their smartphones without the need to gather in one place or disrupt their work.

Download:

• Google Play
• App Store

3. SMART AUDIOBOOK PLAYER

Smart AudioBook Player — a Ukrainian Android app designed for listening to downloaded audiobooks, offering an extended set of features. While many similar apps provide standard music player functions, Smart AudioBook Player stands out with several unique and useful features, such as the ability to adjust playback speed with a single touch or control playback directly from the smartphone’s home screen. The app supports various audio formats, including MP3, M4A, M4B, AWB, OGG and WMA.

Smart AudioBook Player remembers the exact point where you paused your listening, allowing you to have several active books at the same time and resume listening to any of them at any moment.

The app includes a «Library» feature that lets you manage a list of audiobooks loaded from your smartphone’s memory. At the bottom of the audiobook list, there’s a «Full Memory Card Scan» button that automatically searches for new audiobooks on your device.

The developers offer the full version of the app for the first 30 days. After that, it automatically switches to a basic version with limited functionality.

Download:

• Google Play

4. UKRAINIAN BOOKSHELVES WORLDWIDE

Ukrainian Bookshelves Worldwide is an interactive map that showcases locations with Ukrainian books abroad. The map covers 388 locations in 22 countries with the option to add your own book initiative.

The website features book collections created by the project, including «Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, ” „Non-Fiction on Art and History“ and „Detectives and Thrillers.“

The Ukrainian Bookshelves Worldwide project highlights and analyzes initiatives that spread Ukrainian books to Ukrainian refugees abroad during the war. Ukrainian Bookshelves Worldwide aims to spotlight the efforts of the organizers behind these initiatives, explore their work and challenges and make their experiences useful for those planning to create a Ukrainian bookshelf in their city or institution, or to improve an existing one. This effort helps make Ukrainian books more accessible abroad.

The project is implemented by the public organizations «Chytomo» and the «Ukrainian Literary Center» supported by the Stabilization Fund for Culture and Education of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the Goethe-Institut. Project partners include the Ukrainian Book Institute, the Ukrainian Library Association, the German Library Association, the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

5. HARMIX

Harmix — Telegram bot and Android app.

The Harmix Telegram bot is an innovative tool designed to enhance users’ music experience. This bot provides instant music recommendations and allows users to create personalized playlists based on their preferences. The main features of Harmix include:

• Personalized recommendations: using advanced machine learning algorithms, the bot analyzes your music library and listening habits to create unique recommendations
• Playlist creation: easily create playlists for different moods and situations by simply sending a request to the bot
• Music search: conveniently search for new tracks by genre, artist or album
• Integration with music services: Harmix supports integration with popular music services like Spotify and Apple Music, allowing you to save playlists and recommendations directly in your favorite apps
• Music news: receive the latest news from the music world, including new releases, concerts and interviews with artists
• Communities and chats: join music communities and discuss your favorite tracks with other Harmix users.

The Harmix Android app is a modern music application that allows users to enjoy music on a new level. The app’s main features include:

• Intelligent recommendations: the app analyzes your music preferences and offers recommendations based on your listening habits
• Mood-based playlists: create and save playlists for any mood or occasion. Simply choose a theme or describe your mood, and Harmix will handle the rest
• Offline mode: download your favorite music for listening without an internet connection
• Integration with other services: Harmix supports integration with popular music services like Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music allowing you to synchronize your playlists and recommendations
• Audio analysis: using powerful audio analysis algorithms, the app can determine the tempo, key and genre of music enabling even more accurate recommendations
• Music news and reviews: stay informed about the latest music news, including new releases, album reviews and information on upcoming concerts
• Communities and social features: Connect with other music enthusiasts, discuss your favorite tracks and share your playlists.

6. LINGART

Lingart is an app featuring interactive multilingual audiobooks that synchronize text with audio.

The app was developed by a team of programmers from Lviv, who won the «StartUp Breakthrough» competition in 2018, became finalists at the Innovation-2019 international festival and also won the Creative Spark Startup Competition.

What makes the Lingart app unique? The synchronization of text and audio allows users to read a book in a digital format while simultaneously listening to its audiobook version. You can switch between reading and listening or do both simultaneously. Some books are available in multiple languages, making it possible to listen to the book in its original language while seeing its translation. The audiobook text can be navigated sentence by sentence. Books are not downloaded to the device but are provided for use through a paid service, which helps protect against piracy.

Download:

• Google Play

7. RORK

Rork — an app designed for tracking reading and listening to books, it also has social networking features like friends and communities.

The developers describe it as a «modern reading journal.»

Rork has four main sections: Reading, Books, Calendar and Community:

• Reading: after your first reading session with the Rork app, this section allows you to quickly find your book, continue reading and view a percentage of your progress
• Books: this section saves your selected books, with options to add new ones or edit existing ones
• Calendar: displays the amount of time you’ve dedicated to reading throughout the month
• Community: here, you can see other Rork users, learn about their reading habits, what books they are reading and how much time they spend on it.

Download:

• Google Play
• App Store

8. 4READ

4Read is a website offering free audiobooks in Ukrainian.

Readers can explore three main sections: «Top Audiobooks, ” „World Literature“ and „Ukrainian Literature.“ Audiobooks are available in various genres and can be sorted by date, rating, views and reviews. Registered users can also add their own books.

9. CHILDHOOD TALES

Childhood Tales is an app featuring a collection of folk and author’s tales in both text and audio formats, exclusively in Ukrainian.

The audiobooks can be listened to online through the built-in player or downloaded on your device. Each audiobook comes with a text version, so parents or children can read along.

Download:

• Google Play
• App Store

If you know of other online cinemas, mobile apps, interesting applications or online book libraries, feel free to contact us via email and let us know about them.

Additionally, if certain links are only available in specific regions, we recommend using the Ukrainian-developed anonymizer ClearVPN. More about this in our article «Top Software, Services and Startups Created by Ukrainians for Business and Entrepreneurs.»