Against the war and the blackout, Kharkiv, Chornomorsk, Dnipro, and Cherkasy were united: screening and online discussion of the film Fortress Mariupol. Orest

16 December 2022

This year, the Travelling Docudays UA has also become a "migration event" for some regional coordinators. Due to Russia'sRussia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the coordinators were forced to leave for other regions of Ukraine.

Oleh Okhredko, Hryhorii Kurachytskyi, and Yurii Chumak decided to hold a joint film screening for local residents and IDPs in cities that are new for them: Chornomorsk, Dnipro and Cherkasy. Yurii Chumak also invited his native Kharkiv to the screening.

The film directed by Yuliia Hontaruk Fortress Mariupol. Orest was selected for this event. Mariupol became a symbol of resistance in this war – it is the largest city that was captured and destroyed by the invaders during the full-scale aggression. Yurii Chumak believes that "the film Fortress Mariupol. Orest is a concentration of meanings that the present carries."

A still from the film Fortress Mariupol. Orest, dir. Yuliia Hontaruk

Due to the Russian shelling of Kharkiv, we had to look for a location in the basement that provided at least relative safety. We managed to find the appropriate location – Kharkiv Media Hub, which is not only a centre of professional journalism but also a space that is always open to important social and public initiatives.

In Cherkasy, the audience was invited to the Halabuda Hub, which itself was relocated from Mariupol. In Dnipro, the YaMariupol Hub, which operates on the basis of the Central City Library, was selected as a venue for the screening. In Chornomorsk, the event was held in the Art-shelter, which, according to its name, allows you to participate in art events and hide from dangers.

The organisers were lucky enough to invite the film protagonist – the head of the press service of the Azov Regiment, Dmytro Kozatsky, call-sign "Orest", to the film screening and the following discussion.

The event date is not accidental – 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

Despite the fact that at the beginning of the event, the power outages took place in three cities (except Kharkiv), the organisers managed to hold the screenings in all four locations! And then, the audience participated in a joint discussion and communication with Orest via Zoom.

Screening and online discussion of the film Fortress Mariupol. Orest in Cherkasy. Photo credit: Yurii Chumak

Dmytro Kozatsky noted, "I want to thank my brothers and sisters from Azov, all the defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, who defended the Ukrainian land to the last, holding on in inhumane conditions. They did incredible things, which our Ukrainian army does also now, every day.

I am very embarrassed when people talk about me, I don't really like the publicity. However, now I try to use every opportunity to remind everyone about our prisoners of war who are still in captivity. About 2,000 of them are Azovstal defenders.

We have the opportunity to move where we want, eat what we want, speak freely what we think, but our brothers and sisters who are currently in captivity do not have this opportunity.

Speaking about the film, I thank director Yuliia Hontaruk and everyone who described, photographed, and filmed extremely important events in Mariupol so that the whole world knew about them. We have no right to forget the heroism of our soldiers, as well as the war crimes committed by rashists in our country. This is extremely important for future generations as well!"

The audience from Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chornomorsk, and Cherkasy also asked Dmytro questions. And Halabuda photographer Svitlana Korablova, who also evacuated from Mariupol, said to him, "For me, you were that very ray of light that gave positive faith in that we have hope. Then everything was black and depressing, but your smile, even on those photos where almost everything was destroyed, gave hope that we would still break through. And thank you very much as a photographer to a photographer and just as a person for the pictures you took. They will go down in history!"

Screening and online discussion of the film Fortress Mariupol. Orest in Cherkasy. Photo credit: Yurii Chumak

The coordinator of Halabuda Hub, Liudmyla Chychera, also shared her feelings about the event, "It is very symbolic that on International Human Rights Day, we are discussing the most terrible violation of human rights – the right to life.

After the screening, we talked to the protagonist Dmytro Kozatsky and shared our impressions of the film. Everyone'sEveryone's impressions were very strong, many even cried. We would like to thank the team of the Travelling Docudays UA in Kharkiv Oblast and Yurii Chumak personally for the opportunity to show this film in Halabuda."

Hryhorii Kurachitsky noted that he, like Dmytro, also lived in Mariupol before the full-scale war. He loves this city with all his heart, so while watching the film, he remembered every house shown on the screen. Hryhorii emphasised, "Thanks to the courage and resilience of the defenders of Mariupol and other cities, Ukraine withstood the first wave of the enemy invasion and is now gradually liberating the occupied territories. I believe that soon we will raise a glass to our victory in Ukrainian Mariupol!"