It’s hard to imagine the Travelling Docudays UA without Kherson. Despite the challenges of war and the city’s proximity to the frontline, our incredible regional coordinators find ways every year to bring documentary films and discussions about human rights to local audiences. What’s more, they continue to open new spaces and unite more and more people around shared European values.

This autumn, we are planning nearly fifteen events across several locations in a hybrid format (offline and online), as well as a trip to Vysokopillia. However, given the current situation, the dates and times of the events may change due to security concerns and unstable power supply.

Kherson, we admire your resilience and can’t wait to see you on 12 October!

12 October, 12 pm

Kherson. An online press conference of the co-organisers of the Travelling Docudays UA in the region — the NGO “Charity and Health Foundation” and the NGO “Information Resource Centre ‘Legal Space’”. The event will be streamed live on the Travelling Docudays UA in Kherson Region Facebook page. Participants include:

• Alla Tiutiunnyk, Head of the NGO “Charity and Health Fund” and Director of the Strategic Development Department at the Docudays NGO;

• Olena Stariuk, Head of the Public Reception at the NGO “Charity and Health Fund”, and Regional Coordinator of the Travelling Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in the Kherson region;

• Natalia Shatilova, Coordinator of the “SVOE” Community Centers and Head of the NGO “Hromada UA”;

• Natalia Bimbiraite, Director of the NGO “Information Resource Center ‘Legal Space’” and Regional Coordinator of the Travelling International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Docudays UA in the Kherson region;

• Dementiy Bily, Head of the Kherson Regional Office of the NGO “Committee of Voters of Ukraine,” moderator of events at the “On the Corner” Hub in Kherson, and human rights expert.

• Olesia Chavurska, lawyer and moderator of events at the “Family Hub” in Vysokopillia.

On the same day, the festival opens in Kherson with two events:

1:30 pm — screening of the documentary Fiume O Morte! by Croatian director Igor Bezinovich, followed by a discussion with Natalia Shatilova-Pohasiy, head of the NGO “Hromada ‘UA’” and acting head of the Dnipro District branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.

Location: “SVOE” Educational Training Center

1 pm — Screening of the documentary How I Spent My Summer Holidays? by Ukrainian director Antonio Lukich, followed by a discussion with human rights expert Dementiy Bily, head of the NGO "Committee of Voters of Ukraine," and communications officer Iryna Ukhvarina.

Location: Hub “Na Rozi” (On the Corner).

15 October, 11 am

Vysokopillia village. Screening of the documentary Glass — My Unfulfilled Life by Dutch director Rogier Kappers, followed by a discussion with human rights expert and lawyer Olesia Chavurska.

Location: “Family Hub”.

17 October, 11 am

Kherson. Screening of the documentary film How I Spent My Summer Holidays? by Antonio Lukich, followed by a discussion.

Location: O. Menshov Ukrainian Cultural Center in Kherson.

18 October. 1 pm

Kherson. Screening of the documentary Glass – My Unfulfilled Life by Dutch director Rogier Kappers, followed by a discussion with Dementiy Bily, Iryna Ukhvarina, and Natalia Bimbirayte, director of the NGO “Information Resource Center ‘Legal Space’” and coordinator of the Traveling Docudays UA in the Kherson region.

Location: Hub “Na Rozi” (On the Corner).

22 October, 11 am

Kherson. Screening of the documentary film The Last Song from Kabul by Kevin Macdonald and Rukhi Hamid, followed by a discussion with Dementiy Bilyi and Iryna Ukhvarina.

Location: O. Menshov Ukrainian Cultural Center in Kherson.

Vysokopillia village, 1 pm - Screening and discussion of the documentary The Last Song from Kabul by directors Kevin Macdonald and Ruhi Hamid, followed by a legal awareness session on gender-based violence and available support services — with Olesya Chavurska.

Location: “Family Hub”.

25 October, 11 am
Kherson. Live and online. Special screening of the documentary film Witnesses. Captivity Kills by Ukrainian director Tetiana Symon and a legal awareness event on the rehabilitation and reintegration of those released from Russian captivity. The discussion will be joined by Volodymyr Mykolayenko, mayor of Kherson from 2014 to 2020, who spent almost three and a half years in enemy captivity. He was released on August 24, 2025.

Location: Hub “Na Rozi” (On the Corner).

26 October

Kherson, 1 pm — screening of the documentary My Sweet Child by Dutch director Maarten de Schutter, followed by a discussion with Natalia Shatilova-Pohasiy.

Location: “SVOE” Educational Training Center

1 pm — screening of the documentary The Last Song from Kabul by Kevin Macdonald and Ruhi Hamid, followed by a discussion with Dementiy Bily, Iryna Ukhvarina, and Natalia Bimbiraite.

Location: Hub “Na Rozi” (On the Corner).

29 October, 11 am

Kherson. Screening of the documentary film Inside, the Valley Sings by Nathan Fegan and discussion with Dementiy Bilyi and Iryna Ukhvarina.Location: Kherson Ukrainian Cultural Center named after O. Menshov

Location: Kherson Ukrainian Cultural Center named after O. Menshov.

1 November, 11 am

Kherson. Screening of the documentary Sanatorium by Irish director Gar O’Rourke, followed by a discussion with Dementiy Bily, Iryna Ukhvarina, and Natalia Bimbiraite.

Location: Hub “Na Rozi” (On the Corner).

2 November

Kherson. Live and online. A special legal awareness event of the festival dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, signed on August 1, 1975, in the capital of Finland by 35 countries, including the USA and the USSR. Participants include Dementiy Bily, Iryna Ukhvarina, and Oleksandr Stepanenko — head of the NGO “Helsinki Initiative–XXI”, member of the Board of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU), and coordinator of the Traveling Docudays UA in the Ternopil region.

Location: Hub “Na Rozi” (On the Corner).

5 November, 11 am

Kherson. Screening of the documentary film Where Is My Body Armor? by Ukrainian director Daria Penkov and discussion with Dementiy Bely and Irina Ukvarina.

Location: O. Menshov Ukrainian Cultural Center in Kherson.

9 November, 1 pm

Kherson. Screening of two short documentaries — How I Spent My Summer Holidays? by Antonio Lukich and The Last Song from Kabul by Kevin Macdonald and Ruhi Hamid — followed by a discussion with Natalia Shatilova-Pohasiy.

Location: “SVOE” Educational Training Center

12 November, 11 am

Kherson. Screening of the documentary film My Sextortion Diary by Spanish director Patricia Franquesa and discussion with Dementiy Bilyi and Iryna Ukhvarina.

Location: O. Menshov Ukrainian Cultural Center in Kherson.

14 November, 1 pm

Kherson. Screening of the documentary My Sextortion Diary  by Spanish director Patricia Franquesa, followed by a discussion with expert Natalia Kraska on the topic “How to Recognize and Prevent Sexual Violence Against Children Online.”

Location: “SVOE” Educational Training Center

Please note that the program may change. Updated details about the events will be available on the Traveling Docudays UA page for Kherson and the surrounding region. Admission is free.

See you soon!

Contact persons:

• Olena Stariuk, Coordinator of the Traveling Docudays UA in the Kherson region from the NGO “Charity and Health Fund,” e-mail: [email protected], tel.: +38 (095) 520-53-56.

• Natalia Bimbirayte, Coordinator of the Traveling Docudays UA in the Kherson region from the NGO “Information Resource Center ‘Legal Space’,” e-mail: [email protected], tel.: +38 (095) 892-69-22.

The 22nd Travelling Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and International Media Support. The opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the governments, or the charitable organisations of these countries. The authors alone are responsible for the content of this publication.