This is the third Docudays UA International Travelling Human Rights Documentary Film Festival for Lutsk. Short stories from “Encyclopaedia of the Maidan” series opened the festival.

Ukrainian documentalists have been filming civic initiatives that emerged at the Maidan for two years. Ten short films of the cycle are the stories about volunteers, military doctors in the East, information battles and the fight with disappointment. Three films were shown in Lutsk: “Euromaidan SOS”, “Crimea SOS” and “Language” - all united by the theme of life choice.

One of the activists of “Euromaidan SOS” civic initiative and the hero of the film of the same name, Oleksandra Romantsova, said that the revolutionary events in the country gave her different perspective on her own life. One day she has made the choice to leave her job at the bank and become a human rights activist.

“Maidan happened, because people wanted their rights and human dignity to be respected. We didn’t stop working after the revolution because our “Maidans” haven’t ended: someone has it at the Ministry of Finance, someone in education, and someone travels, looking for people who went missing. Anastasiya Rozlutska, the hero of “Language” who coordinates free courses of Ukrainian language, has later become initiator of the system “Prozorro”. We need to document the crimes that take place in the East, we need to control the government and change our country every day” - Oleksandra Romantsova remarked.

After the screening Euromaidan activists in Lutsk were talking about the importance of being truthful to yourself, implementing real changes in one’s city, street or house, speaking out and refusing to participate in corruption schemes, the importance of speaking Ukrainian, of knowing your own history and culture to prevent the third Maidan.

Besides film screenings and discussions, the participants could join the Letter marathon by Amnesty International Ukraine to support the unjustly convicted all over the world.

The festival will be open in Lutsk till December, 10th.