Queens of Joy (2025)

(0) based on 0 votes
Amidst the maelstrom of war in Ukraine, three drag queens -Diva Monroe, Marlene, and Aura- refuse to abandon their homeland. Instead of fleeing, they choose to fight: for freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and their very existence. From the glamour of the show to the brutality of war, the film follows their lives - filled with loss, fear, as well as indomitable courage. Marlen grapples with old wounds, Diva Monroe finds herself once more, and Aura fights for a place both in the army and onto the stage. A charity drag show they organize to support Ukraine turns into a symbol of unity and resilience. The film is a story of self- discovery, love, hope, and the power to find joy even in the darkest of times.
Directors
Release Date
Mar 10, 2025
Runtime
01h 30m
Actors
N/D
Genre
Available in streaming on

Amidst the maelstrom of war in Ukraine, three drag queens -Diva Monroe, Marlene, and Aura- refuse to abandon their homeland. Instead of fleeing, they choose to fight: for freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and their very existence. From the glamour of the show to the brutality of war, the film follows their lives - filled with loss, fear, as well as indomitable courage. Marlen grapples with old wounds, Diva Monroe finds herself once more, and Aura fights for a place both in the army and onto the stage. A charity drag show they organize to support Ukraine turns into a symbol of unity and resilience. The film is a story of self- discovery, love, hope, and the power to find joy even in the darkest of times.

Movies like Queens of Joy

Askania Reserve

Askania-Nova is the largest steppe wildlife sanctuary in Europe. It is located in south part of Ukraine, not far from Crimea peninsula. In order to underline this unique beauty we created a documentary musical film about life of animals and people in wildlife sanctuary of Askania-Nova. The movie reveals stories of a three protagonists, whose destinies were entangled because of wildlife sanctuary.
Search similar movies
Askania+Reserve
Askania Reserve

2019

Search similar movies
Maidan

A chronicle of the civil uprising against the regime of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych that took place in Kyiv in the winter of 2013/14. The film follows the progress of the revolution: from peaceful rallies, half a million strong in the Maidan square, to the bloody street battles between protesters and riot police.
Search similar movies
8.0
Maidan
The Hydra

A fast-paced suspense thriller and feature documentary about the sudden rise of ecstasy in Europe to epidemic levels after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Search similar movies
3.7
The+Hydra
Chernobyl: The Last Battle of the USSR

Three decades after the nuclear explosion, almost everything has been said about this ecological and sanitary disaster that made Pripiat a part of History. How did the greatest industrial disaster change the course of History, disrupt global geopolitics and, directly or indirectly, redistribute the balances and power relations of the twentieth century? The world will never be the same again. By retracing the incredible battle waged by the Soviet Union against radiation, this film proposes to retrace and enlighten an extraordinary story, while exploring the historical stakes in the medium and long-term…
Search similar movies
8.5
Chernobyl%3A+The+Last+Battle+of+the+USSR
Chernobyl: The Last Battle of the USSR

2021

Search similar movies
My Dear Theo

In a series of letters to her young son, a mother, soldier and filmmaker documents her thoughts from the Ukrainian frontline.
Search similar movies
My+Dear+Theo
My Dear Theo

2025

Search similar movies
Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles

Reality in Ukraine was divided into two periods - before the war and after. Every citizen tries to be useful in this national resistance. Ukrainians change their professions and adapt to the needs of wartime. In art workshops, sculptors make anti-tank obstacles. Silent figures of Ukrainian figures, angels, Cossacks and multiple copies of Jesus Christ, like a terracotta army, froze in anticipation of new creations. Masters weld metal defenses for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Search similar movies
6.0
Liturgy+of+Anti-Tank+Obstacles
Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles

2022

Search similar movies
The Hamlet Syndrome

Five young Ukrainians discuss life following the Maidan Revolution of 2014. Not all fought in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but it, regardless, shattered their life plans. Representing 'Generation Maidan', they face the question of how to cope with experiences of violence, how to go on. A local theatre director produces Hamlet, wherein they can use Shakespeare’s tragic character as a mirror and face their traumas onstage. For them, 'to be or not to be' is not simply text but an existential dilemma with no clear answer.
Search similar movies
8.0
The+Hamlet+Syndrome
The Hamlet Syndrome

2022

Search similar movies
Camp Courage

Made refugees by the war in Ukraine, Olga and her granddaughter Milana travel to a summer camp in the Austrian Alps to test the limits of their own bravery, and to strengthen their growing bond.
Search similar movies
7.1
Camp+Courage
Camp Courage

2023

Search similar movies
A President, Europe and War

They call each other Emmanuel and Vladimir - but despite the informal tone, a fateful negotiation is taking place. During France's presidency of the EU, President Macron takes on the task of negotiating with President Putin in an attempt to prevent an invasion of Ukraine. For the first time, we get to follow the diplomatic game behind the scenes and hear parts of their phone conversations.
Search similar movies
9.5
A+President%2C+Europe+and+War
A President, Europe and War

2022

Search similar movies
Eastern Front

On February 24, 2022, Yevhen, together with his friends, volunteered to join the first aid squad on the front line. They provided life-saving support and evacuation of the wounded. This film reveals the experiences of these young men for six months full of drama, despair, fear, hatred, bitterness, love, and, most importantly, faith in victory.
Search similar movies
Eastern+Front
Eastern Front

2023

Search similar movies
Belov: A Life at Sea

The first biographical documentary film about the greatest Brazilian sailor by miles traveled. Setting sail from Salvador - Bahia - Brazil, Capital of the Blue Amazon, the Ukrainian Brazilian personality Aleixo Belov has already circumnavigated the globe five times, three of them alone, aboard a little sailboat built in his own backyard.
Search similar movies
Belov%3A+A+Life+at+Sea
Belov: A Life at Sea

2024

Search similar movies
Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine

BREAKING POINT: The War for Democracy in Ukraine looks at people transformed by a democratic revolution, who give up their normal lives to fight a Russian invasion, in a war which has killed 10,000 and displaced 1.9 million Ukrainians.
Search similar movies
7.3
Breaking+Point%3A+The+War+for+Democracy+in+Ukraine
Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine

2017

Search similar movies
20 Days in Mariupol

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
Search similar movies
8.0
20+Days+in+Mariupol
20 Days in Mariupol

2023

Search similar movies
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World

New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff.
Search similar movies
Veselka%3A+The+Rainbow+on+the+Corner+at+the+Center+of+the+World
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World

2024

Search similar movies
Slovo House

Chain-smoking artists, poets and playwrights were among the colourful array of intellectuals living in the ‘Slovo House’ in 1920s Ukraine. The communist paradise was built under Stalin's approval, but it quickly became a prison. The brutal Soviet regime spied on the inhabitants, destroying their eccentric way of life and sealing their fate. This fascinating film explores the extraordinary story of the building and its residents.
Search similar movies
7.0
Slovo+House
Slovo House

2017

Search similar movies
War Note

Personal videos from the phones, camcorders, cameras and GoPros of Ukrainian soldiers are woven into a surreal journey to the frontline of the war with Russia. The film shows a bizarre world whose laws are quite different from what we are used to. The behaviour is different, the relationships unfold differently and the humour takes on different notes. The heroes wake up and fall asleep, rejoice and cry, always feeling that the recording may end at any moment.
Search similar movies
War+Note
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

Over 93 days in Ukraine, what started as peaceful student demonstrations became a violent revolution and full-fledged civil rights movement.
Search similar movies
7.9
Winter+on+Fire%3A+Ukraine%27s+Fight+for+Freedom
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

2015

Search similar movies
Ivan and Marta

Ivan Dziuba - literary critic, public figure, academician of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine - belongs to the "sixties". He fully takes care of all the miscalculations and unfulfilled promises of his generation. Reflects on why the illusions were lost and why so few dreams came true ... Let's see and listen to him with his wife Martha, a Lviv woman who was his guardian angel. Together - all life. Exactly as they are, the right is the definition - the conscience of the nation.
Search similar movies
7.7
Ivan+and+Marta
Ivan and Marta

2023

Search similar movies
The Hardest Hour

The unique testimony of the tragic events and crimes of russia through the eyes of Ukrainians, which the entire world must see and feel. Film was created from 200 hours of chronicles: survival, resistance, and life during the war. Every minute was filmed by Ukrainians with their mobile phones. Each story in the documentary is a film captured and filmed by Ukrainians on their devices.
Search similar movies
8.0
The+Hardest+Hour
The Hardest Hour

2024

Search similar movies
Homefront

A family with five children flees the war raging in their home village on the Russian border. They end up in Mshanets, a farming village on the other side of the country, remote and unknown. Here the family starts building a new home. At the same time, two documentary makers come to the village, looking for a story. In the Lymar family they find the ideal characters for their film. But one day, when the renovation of their house is almost finished, the family disappears. The filmmakers go in search of their characters and along the way they try to find an answer to the question: what does a person need to feel at home?
Search similar movies
Homefront
Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods

A revealing and moving portrait of lives compromised by war, filmed exclusively by Ukrainian soldiers with extraordinary access to a tightly-controlled frontline.
Search similar movies
8.3
Ukraine%3A+Enemy+in+the+Woods
Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods

2024

Search similar movies
Our War

Between February and April 2025, filmmakers Bernard-Henri Lévy and Marc Roussel filmed the Pokrovsk and Soumy fronts in eastern Ukraine, following the fighters of the Anne de Kyiv Brigade, armed by France. They filmed the daily lives of the inhabitants, bombarded by Russian forces terrorizing civilians on the eve of possible negotiations. They interview President Zelenskyy, who is reluctant to travel to Washington, and then watch the rebroadcast of the meeting with Ukrainian soldiers in a bunker. For the real heroes are the anonymous fighters and civilians who hold their heads high in the face of adversity and suffering, and who are filmed on a daily basis. The final part of Lévy’s “Ukrainian Quartet”, Our War is a diary, peppered with flashbacks in which the author recalls the high points of this war that began in 2014.
Search similar movies
8.0
Our+War
Our Dad, Danielle

The extraordinary story of a world-renowned patent attorney in Sugar Land, Texas who, at 57, came out as a trans woman and is now navigating LGBTQ+ issues and fighting for trans rights in the vortex of Texas conservatism, as she and her family challenge the idea of what modern love looks like.
Search similar movies
10.0
Our+Dad%2C+Danielle
Our Dad, Danielle

2024

Search similar movies
Slava Ukraini

One year after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy takes us to the heart of the combat through this war diary made during the second half of 2022. From Kharkiv and Bakhmut to Kherson, in the aftermath of the city’s liberation, this documentary bears witness to the ravages of war through the testimonies of soldiers, chronicles of the front and portraits of civilians, and shares with us the struggle of the Ukrainian people.
Search similar movies
6.9
Slava+Ukraini
Slava Ukraini

2023

Search similar movies
Mariupolis

The city of Mariupolis is by the Azov sea. It is also on the river Kalmius. Most of the city’s residents, half a million according to the last census, are working for the steel factory and do fishing, for leisure or food, in between shifts. The orthodox church towers above the city and its newly build bronze domes are sitting next to it, waiting to be donned. A tent near by is sheltering a crying icon, which receives a steady flow of visitors.
Search similar movies
6.7
Mariupolis
Mariupolis

2016

Search similar movies
The Football Nation

The documentary tells about the birth, history of formation and development of the National Football Team of Ukraine in the period from 1992 to 2022.
Search similar movies
7.0
The+Football+Nation
The Football Nation

2022

Search similar movies
Euromaidan. Rough Cut

Three months of revolution. From indignant protest to national unity. From pots on their heads to batons and body armor. From the euphoria of victory to the mourning of the fallen Heavenly Hundred. Revolution as an explosion of revived dignity, as the euphoria of freedom, as the pain of awareness at the cost, as the birth of the modern history of Ukraine. This year we have decided not to have an opening film, because all our attention is focused on the changes taking place in our country today. We have asked the directors who filmed the Ukrainian protests to share their best shots with us. The episodes of these upcoming films about the Euromaidan were formed in a kaleidoscope of revolution, which needs no comment. We offer you a chronicle of the Ukrainian protest. Experience the three months of fighting with us, feel and see the revolution through our eyes.
Search similar movies
7.0
Euromaidan.+Rough+Cut
Euromaidan. Rough Cut

2014

Search similar movies
V. Silvestrov

There is a rumor in the Kyiv musical community: once upon a time, in private conversation, Queen Elizabeth II mentioned Valentyn Silvestrov as one of her favorite composers of the modern age. The Royal Press Office hasn’t confirmed it, so no one knows for sure. But the stature of Silvestrov justifies this rumor. Highly respected by the world’s best music professionals, he remains a mystery for a wide audience. The documentary is far from a traditional biopic about a prominent person. It is an observation, a confession and, most of all, a story of great talent set against the backdrop of uncertain times.
Search similar movies
8.0
V.+Silvestrov
V. Silvestrov

2022

Search similar movies
This Rain Will Never Stop

This Rain Will Never Stop takes the audience on a powerful, visually arresting journey through humanity’s endless cycle of war and peace. The film follows 20-year-old Andriy Suleyman as he tries to secure a sustainable future while navigating the human toll of armed conflict. From the Syrian civil war to strife in Ukraine, Andriy’s existence is framed by the seemingly eternal flow of life and death.
Search similar movies
6.8
This+Rain+Will+Never+Stop
This Rain Will Never Stop

2022

Search similar movies
Crimea. As It Was

The film is a story about the officers, soldiers and seamen who did not betray their oath of loyalty to the people of Ukraine and their first hand accounts about Russia's invasion and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. They continue to fulfill their military obligations on land, on sea and in the air today.
Search similar movies
8.0
Crimea.+As+It+Was
Crimea. As It Was

2016

Search similar movies
Superpower

Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman’s documentary, shot just before and after Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022, and featuring several interviews with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Search similar movies
5.5
Superpower
Superpower

2023

Search similar movies
Babi Yar. Context

Nazi troops massacre 30,000 Jews over a three-day period in September 1941. Babyn Yar ravine in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Search similar movies
6.2
Babi+Yar.+Context
Babi Yar. Context

2021

Search similar movies
Zelensky - A President At War

The war is raging in Ukraine that is changing the world order. One man is standing up to Russia and wants to restore peace and security in his own country: President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Search similar movies
8.3
Zelensky+-+A+President+At+War
Zelensky - A President At War

2022

Search similar movies
Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took on Putin

The rise of the comedian, actor and entertainer who became the improbable wartime leader. Exploring the man behind the series of game changing social media and TV appearances which have encapsulated the defiant response of a nation.
Search similar movies
5.5
Zelenskyy%3A+The+Man+Who+Took+on+Putin
Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took on Putin

2022

Search similar movies
Servant of the people, Zelensky

Are the absolute power and weakness of the state tempting enough to initiate authoritarian rule? This documentary shows Zelensky's success and also presents the consequences, including international ones, of giving power to a man who had the most spectacular political career in Europe.
Search similar movies
Servant+of+the+people%2C+Zelensky
Servant of the people, Zelensky

2020

Search similar movies
Belarus: An Ordinary Dictatorship

It’s the last dictatorship of Europe, caught in a Soviet time-warp, where the secret police is still called the KGB and the president rules by fear. Disappearances, political assassinations, waves of repression and mass arrests are all regular occurances. But while half of Belarus moves closer to Russia, the other half is trying to resist…
Search similar movies
6.8
Belarus%3A+An+Ordinary+Dictatorship
Belarus: An Ordinary Dictatorship

2018

Search similar movies
Hell Jumper

Courage, love and loss. Young people risk their lives with self-funded missions to rescue families in Ukraine’s frontline towns. Told through their own words and unique first-person footage.
Search similar movies
8.0
Hell+Jumper
Hell Jumper

2024

Search similar movies
Mariupolis 2

In 2022, Mantas Kvedaravičius went back to Ukraine, Mariupol, at the heart of the war, to be with the people he had met and filmed in 2015. Following his death, his producers and collaborators have put all their strength into continuing transmitting his work, his vision and his films. Also a PhD in anthropology, Mantas Kvedaravičius wished to testify as a filmmaker as far as possible from the agitation of the media and the politicians. With huge force and sensitivity, Mariupolis 2 depicts life as it continues amidst the bombing and reveals images that convey both tragedy and hope.
Search similar movies
8.5
Mariupolis+2
Mariupolis 2

2022

Search similar movies
Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom

Personal stories from civilians, children, soldiers, doctors, the country’s elderly, journalists, religious leaders, and international volunteers - a handful of the millions of people whose lives have been turned upside-down by nine years (and counting) of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Search similar movies
9.3
Freedom+on+Fire%3A+Ukraine%27s+Fight+For+Freedom
Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom

2022

Search similar movies
Ukraine's War: The Other Side

The documentary follows filmmaker Sean Langan's journey into the invader’s Russian side of the war in Eastern Ukraine. Sean heads into the Russian-occupied Donbas region to find out through the eyes of soldiers on the Eastern front and civilians coping with war in the streets how the conflict is affecting them.
Search similar movies
5.5
Ukraine%27s+War%3A+The+Other+Side
Ukraine's War: The Other Side

2024

Search similar movies
Year. Kharkiv Region.

Dmytro Komarov's documentary project The Year. Kharkiv Region. Dmytro Komarov will show Kharkiv in the first months of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. Viewers will hear the stories of people who found themselves in the epicentre of the brutal attacks: at the air defence base destroyed by a Russian missile, in the residential area of the city - Northern Saltivka - which was ravaged by shelling. The journalist will talk to those who played a key role in the liberation of the Kharkiv region. One of these people is Roman Hryshchuk, the commander of the 127th separate territorial defence brigade of Ukraine. He told us how the military practice of the past - using decoys in the form of dummies - helped to identify and destroy the occupiers. How did the full-scale war begin for Kharkiv? What plans did the enemy have for Kharkiv? What united people and gave them hope in the most difficult times? Find out in the documentary project "Year. Kharkiv Region".
Search similar movies
10.0
Year.+Kharkiv+Region.
Year. Kharkiv Region.

2023

Search similar movies
Chubai. Speaking Again

A theatrical documentary about Hrytsko Chubai, a genius of Ukrainian poetry, a connoisseur of literature, art and music and the brightest representative of Lviv underground culture of late 60s early 70s.
Search similar movies
Chubai.+Speaking+Again
Chubai. Speaking Again

2023

Search similar movies
YEAR

A documentary film-project by Dmytro Komarov. He was the first journalist to witness and film the horrors of the just-liberated towns of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel. He saw the first emotions of people immediately after the de-occupation of Kyiv region, Kharkiv region, and Kherson region. The documentary is the author's view of the war from angles that you won't see in the news. Unique, rare, exclusive comments from those whose hands and minds are shaping our future victory. The main heroes of documentary are both ordinary Ukrainians who heroically show their strength and power every day for a year and high-ranking officials such as Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, Major General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk. Initially, "Year" was a series of journalistic reports, later they were edited into a two-part film.
Search similar movies
9.6
YEAR
Osteuropa zwischen Hitler und Stalin - Das große Sterben

Between 1930 and 1945, Eastern Europe experienced mass violence on an unprecedented scale. Hitler and Stalin exploited the vast region for their respective expansionist plans. It is estimated that around 14 million civilians were murdered—primarily Jews, Poles, Balts, Belarusians, and Ukrainians.
Search similar movies
Osteuropa+zwischen+Hitler+und+Stalin+-+Das+gro%C3%9Fe+Sterben
Osteuropa zwischen Hitler und Stalin - Das große Sterben

2025

Search similar movies
The Basement

The village of Yahidne in northern Ukraine is coming back to life. Dogs are running around. Gardens and crops are green again. People support one another and families have reunited. In a movement of solidarity, local youth help rebuild what was devastated a year ago when Russian troops occupied the village imprisoning the villagers in the school’s basement for a month. The villagers’ attitudes alternate between their desire to move forward an remembering the horrors of the past. A heartwarming tribute to resilience and unity.
Search similar movies
8.0
The+Basement
The Basement

2024

Search similar movies
Lightning Before Thunder

A short documentary about how "Fulton" the Ukrainian Football Club came together.
Search similar movies
Lightning+Before+Thunder
Lightning Before Thunder

2024

Search similar movies
Lida

"LIDA" takes place on the day of Lida's 70th birthday. This already special day is made more unusual by the recent arrival of her grandson, Lev, who had immigrated to the United States with his family in 2001. Returning to Ukraine for the first time as an adult, Lev documents his grandmother as she tends to the small homestead and prepares for the birthday celebration in the rural village in Ukraine. By capturing moments of arduous labor, as well as through personal conversation, Lev inquires into his grandmothers relationship to her home, land - and their family.
Search similar movies
Lida