Traditionally, in the last days of August, the regional coordinators of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Docudays UA gathered together for a strategic seminar to prepare for the Traveling Festival, which is the annual follow-up of the March Docudays UA in Kyiv.

The first day of the Seminar in Kyiv

Vasyl Romanyuk (coordinator of the cooperation projects at the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine)

For three days, the participants, in addition to sharing their experiences of working in their fields, also had an opportunity to discuss the central topic of the festival, Equal Equalities, and the strategies of promotion and development of the Traveling Docudays UA under the skilled supervision by Sasha Sverdlova, the coach and coordinator of human rights projects from the Social Action Center, and Volodymyr Yavorsky, a human rights advocate and Docudays UA Organizational Committee member.

Volodymyr Yavorskyi, board member of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Film Festival Organization Committee

Regional coordinators of the Traveling Docudays UA

Svitlana Smal, the chairwoman of the Docudays UA Organization Committee

Sasha Sverdlova, the coach and coordinator of the human rights projects, NGO "Social Action Center"

The master-classes with Sasha Sverdlova, the coach and coordinator of the human rights projects, NGO "Social Action Center"

In addition, the regional coordinators had an exclusive opportunity to talk to the special guest of the seminar, Maciej Novicki, the director of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Watch Docs in Poland. He also shared his own experience of similar events in Poland, and his perspective on how viewing experience shapes the active civil society.

Maciej Novicki, the director of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Watch Docs in Poland

The Strategic Session with Maciej Novicki, the director of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Watch Docs in Poland

Today, the Traveling Festival network includes 50 leading youth and human rights organizations which work in 22 regions of Ukraine.

Regional coordinators of the Traveling Docudays UA

We remind you that the 15th Traveling Docudays UA will start in October and last until the end of December. The screenings, Living Libraries, public discussions, roundtables and other human rights educational and advocacy events will take place in more than 200 cities, towns and villages across Ukraine. The audience will have a chance to talk to well-known human rights advocates, cultural figures and artists.

The event schedule will soon be published on our website.

Regional coordinators are sharing their experiences from the past year

Regional coordinators are sharing their experiences from the past year

Regional coordinators are sharing their experiences from the past year

The seminar was supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine and the Culture Bridges program, which is funded by the European Union and carried out by the British Council in Ukraine in partnership with the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).

All photos: Anna Toshyna and Nastya Roshyk