SANATORIUM
Sunday, March 1 • 3:40 PM • T2
The screening will be followed by a special guest Q&A with director Gar O’Rourke, moderated by Sky Sitney, Professor of Film and Media Studies Program at Georgetown University, and Co-Founder & Festival Director of DC/DOX.
Documentary Feature | East Coast Premiere | Feature Directorial Debut | Award Winner | Official Irish Selection for the 2026 Academy Awards
Screening generously sponsored by Ruth Meyler
On the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, stands the imposing Kuyalnyk Sanatorium—a large fading 1970s building health resort where thousands of Ukrainians drawn by Soviet-era therapies come for the chance to relax lake side and immerse in the mysterious black mud – said to cure infertility, physical disabilities and various other ailments. In an extraordinary feature directorial debut, Gar O’Rourke’s film - selected as Ireland's Official Entry for Best International Film at the 2026 Oscars - takes place across a summer season at this unusual place, following the staff as they work hard to provide care, comfort, and entertainment for visitors—even with the war nearby. For the guests, it's a time to seek healing, love, and renewal. Despite the airstrikes close by, there’s something about the pastel pink and lime green halls of the sanatorium that keeps pulling people back. Maybe it’s the hope of rejuvenation or maybe it’s something hidden in the mud…
DIR Gar O’Rourke; PROD Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop, Samantha Corr; CAST Dmitriy, Olena, Elena, Natalia, Andriy, Volodymyr, Valeria, Oleksiy, Inna, and Special thanks to the Management and Staff of the Kuyalnik Sanatorium; DOP Denys Melnyk; SCORE Denis Kilty. Ireland & Ukraine, 2025, color, 90 min. In Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AWARDS: Student Jury Award - Krakow Film Festival 2025; Best Irish Feature Documentary - Galway Film Fleadh 2025
"With no narrator to impose an interpretation, SANATORIUM is the opposite of a spoon-fed social issues doc: It observes, listens and trusts the audience likewise to observe, listen and to draw their own conclusions." - Variety
"The heart of this film lies in its warmth, grounded in the minutiae of routine. Gar has built a deep rapport with each of these subjects. This space of trust allows not only for authenticity, but for a surprising helping of humour." - Film Ireland
Funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, BBC Storyville, France TV, Creative Europe MEDIA, Venom Films, and 2332 Ukraine.
🎟 For further information regarding bookings:
Please call 301-495-6720 between M-F, 9 AM - 5:30 PM or email silverinfo@AFI.com
Gar O’Rourke is an award-winning Irish documentary filmmaker. His debut feature, Sanatorium, balances humour and tragedy in the stories of staff and guests staying at a unique Soviet-era health resort in southern war-torn Ukraine. The film will premiere in Spring 2025 and was recently acquired by Oscar and Emmy-winning BBC Storyville for their prestigious documentary film strand. His debut short film, Kachalka, also filmed in Ukraine, went on to win awards and screen in some of the world’s top film festivals along with receiving a Vimeo Staff pick and being acquired by some of North America and Europe’s biggest broadcasters. He is currently in pre-production on his second feature documentary, titled The Siege of Paradise, which takes place on the northern Italian Riviera and begins filming in Spring 2025.
DINNER AND A MOVIE DEAL
Our festival partner, McGinty's Public House, has generously offered an ongoing discount from February 27 through March 2 for all CIFF ticket holders! When you dine at the restaurant, show your CIFF ticket or pass for a 10% off discount on your bill. Located just around the corner from AFI Silver Theatre, McGinty's (911 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910) is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat between screenings.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Solas Nua is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
