When Lightning Flashes Over the Sea

A cinematic journey through war-torn Odesa, in which the director poetically captures the lives and dreams of a city that keeps on going.

Mythologised on film and in history for centuries, from surviving sieges to Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin”, Odesa is besieged again with intensity, but Neymann would rather focus on its citizens, their dreams, and their will to live their lives despite horrible circumstances. It’s more of a film about the tenuous existence of life in this heroic city than about the devastation of war. Shot over two years, it documents daily lives in exceptional times: a boy who believes wishes come true with lightning strikes over the sea, a widow caring for stray cats, young girls taking selfies, a mother cooking and remembering her son. Sometimes still and contemplative, sometimes practising “direct cinema” montages of everyday moments, Neymann documents a city that is tough and frail. This film lingers on the unspoken poetry of survival, bearing witness that even under heavy bombardment, Odesa can be a city of hope.

Programme section: Docs Open Debates / Focus: Grief
Original title: When Lightning Flashes Over The Sea | Year: 2025 | Duration: 124′
Country: Germany, Ukraine | Language: Russian, Ukrainian, Yiddish | Subtitles: English
Director: Eva Neymann | Production: Kirill Krasovski – Blue Monticola Film; Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg | Cast: Fadey Fadeev, Madona Hupenia, Igor Vlasenko, Nina Ulchik, Dora Razen | Cinematography: Eva Neymann, Saša Orešković | Editing: Pavel Zalesov | Sound: Mykola Shepotin

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Berlinale, 2025 – Forum (World Premiere)

DIRECTOR’S BIO 

Eva Neymann is a Ukrainian film director and screenwriter known for her poetic and visually rich storytelling. She studied law in Marburg before pursuing film directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). Her films often explore themes of memory, nostalgia, and human resilience, frequently drawing inspiration from literature. Neymann gained international recognition with works such as “At the River” (2007), “House With a Turret” (2012), and “Song of Songs” (2015), the latter based on Sholem Aleichem’s writings. Her distinct cinematic style, marked by atmospheric imagery and a contemplative pace, has earned her critical acclaim at various international film festivals. Her latest film, “When Lightning Flashes Over the Sea” (2025), was invited to the 55th Berlinale Forum. She lives and works in Berlin.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I’ve always felt that if we talk about freedom, then a person is, first and foremost, free in their dreams. And no one can take that away. Dreams are so deeply subjective that there can be no other perspectives on them. Reality can be seen in many ways. Facts can change based on perception. However, each person is the ultimate master of their own truth. Dreams belong to them unconditionally; they cannot be taken, defeated, or destroyed. In this sense, a person is invincible. Especially in terrifying times, this is where one can seek and find solace and hope. I aimed to create a document that reflects a specific time and place. I wanted to focus on people’s feelings instead of external events.