Last night in Paris, the opening evening of the Saison de l’Ukraine en France – Le Voyage en Ukraine took place, launching a major cultural program that will run across the country from December 2025 to March 2026.
Co-organized by the Ukrainian and French Ministries of Foreign Affairs (Міністерство закордонних справ України / MFA of Ukraine, France Diplomatie), with the support of the Ministries of Culture, the Institut français, the Ukrainian Institute in France, and the Embassy of Ukraine in France (Посольство України у Франції), the Season was inaugurated in the presence of Brigitte Macron, Olena Zelenska, Jean-Noël Barrot, Rachida Dati, Andriy Sybiha, and Anne Hidalgo, alongside numerous figures from the cultural world.
At the Théâtre de la Ville – Paris, the opening evening, titled “Culture Strikes Back!”, brought together Ukrainian and French artists and intellectuals through artistic performances and cross-cultural dialogues. The very essence of this Season is to show that strength lies in the union of Ukrainian and French artists.
Cinema played a central role, featuring Iryna Tsilyk, Michel Hazanavicius, representatives from the documentary collection Génération Ukraine, and the French philosopher, writer, and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Music, literature, and poetry were also highlighted, with contributions from Andriy Kurkov, bandurist Volodymyr Voyt, the Dakh Daughters, Raphaël, Philippe Claudel, Juliette Binoche, and many other engaged artists.
The evening was filled with truly moving moments, notably when the audience gave a long round of applause to Olena Zelenska and a standing ovation to Yaryna Chornohuz and Artem Chapeye, poet and writer actively engaged on the front lines.
A simple yet powerful way to express shared support.
The evening was hosted by Tetyana Ogarkova (Ukraine Crisis Media Centre) and Fabrice Puchault (ARTE). The two co-organizing institutes were represented by Eva Nguyen Binh, President of the Institut français, and Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute.
This opening launches four months of programming in numerous cities, including Paris, Marseille, Lille, Rennes, Metz, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes, Caen, and Strasbourg, with around fifty events combining visual arts, live performance, cinema, literature, debates, heritage, and educational initiatives.
The Season will also address essential topics such as human rights, health, memory, reconstruction, and the fight against disinformation.
For Stand With Ukraine, it is an honor to contribute to this dynamic by ensuring, together with the two institutes, the labelling of projects carried out in communities across France.
We support municipalities, associations, cultural venues, and institutions wishing to integrate their initiatives into the Season, encouraging broad and coordinated participation throughout the country.
This Season opens a space for sustainable exchange and cooperation between French and Ukrainian cultural scenes. Stand With Ukraine thanks all the partners, artists, and institutions mobilized to bring this Voyage en Ukraine to life as it deserves.
