UkraineS Sanatorium Selected as Ireland’s 2026 Oscar Entry – A documentary capturing life within a ukrainian sanatorium during wartime has been chosen to represent Ireland in the International Feature Film category at the 2026 Academy Awards.
Directed by Gar O’Rourke, Sanatorium focuses on the Kuyalnik sanatorium near Odesa, Ukraine. Despite falling into disrepair prior to the Russian invasion in 2022, the facility reopened in August 2023, driven by a belief in its necessity for those seeking respite. Currently operating at 18% capacity,the sanatorium offers a unique space for healing and resilience.
The film opens with a striking scene – a manager urgently calling for staff – promptly establishing a dynamic tone. O’Rourke emphasizes that Sanatorium is not a bleak portrayal of war,but rather a film that is “strange,funny,heart-warming,cathartic in its moments of lived poignancy,and,above all,a tribute to the resilience of a country and its people.” The 90-minute documentary is described as fast-paced and engaging.
O’Rourke describes his aim as capturing “an intangible aura and magic within this building that we wanted to bottle,” and achieves this through a compelling cast of characters. These include a stressed but quick-witted manager, a young woman seeking treatment for fertility issues, and a close-knit mother and son duo, described as a familiar and endearing pairing. the film’s subjects are characterized as embodying stoicism.
A particularly powerful image from Sanatorium depicts patrons enjoying outdoor mud baths while distant smoke from bombings is visible, visually representing the film’s central theme: “Life goes on.”
The film is lauded as both uplifting and a critically important contribution to Irish cinema.
