I can still recall the Traveling Docudays films on disks – it feels like aeons have passed since then! Back in those days, the idea of organising online festivals was beyond our imagination.

My organisation, Cultprojector, works with the visual practices of culture and art. I am very fond of cinema, and Docudays UA holds a personal, warm spot in my life. So I'm thrilled to have been part of the festival's journey almost from the very beginning.

Viktoriya Veres, an artist and director of the Cultprojector NGO, is not only a regional coordinator for the Docudays UA Travelling Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Zaporizhzhia Region but has also been an integral part of the festival team for over a decade. She pioneered bringing challenging yet evocative films to her hometown, Zaporizhzhia. Where few were ready to think about documentary films and contemporary art, she created an expansive festival. Even after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian army, she continued her work, orchestrating the Travelling Docudays in 2022 in Germany. In a foreign city steeped in Russian propaganda, she's forging a new dialogue. Let's delve into our colleague's experiences and her vision of the future.

What changes have you observed in Ukrainian viewers over the years of the festival's existence?

Some young people who were regular attendees at the Travelling Docudays have now embarked on their filmmaking journeys. Docudays UA has become a launchpad for new generations of filmmakers. In the past decade, many women have become film authors. I recall one festival where women directors, one of them nine months pregnant, stood on stage, all being honoured with awards. Amazed, I thought, “Look at how much our society is changing! We are changing!”

2018, under the theme Equal Equalities, director Alina Horlova receives a special award from Docudays UA

Of all the films you screened at the festival, which one stands out as your favourite?

A film etched in my memory is Granny Project from Travelling Docudays UA 2017. It narrates the tale of three young men from the UK, Germany, and Hungary who made a documentary about their grandmothers. One grandmother was a spy, another a German dancer, and the third had lived through a concentration camp. These men and their grandmothers travelled together… When I think about their destinies and dialogues, I get goosebumps. This deep film tells about the reevaluation of war by the younger generation. I think it is incredibly relevant today.

I also have a deep appreciation for the DOCU/ART section. It's the segment I try to bring to Zaporizhzhia every year. In my view, the comprehension of contemporary art in Zaporizhzhia is still not too developed. I always select something truly special for my hometown and spark a discussion.

Please share what the Travelling Docudays UA means to you personally.

I deeply appreciate the Docudays UA team, and I'm relieved that everyone is safe now. As someone actively involved in public activities, I understand the challenges of staying united during these trying times – transforming yet staying connected through a shared significant idea.

The festival holds a myriad of meanings for me – artistic, social, and human rights. Sometimes, a documentary created by a talented director appears like fiction but narrates a true story, and it’s impressive.

I am currently based in Halle, Germany, near Leipzig. I have a major project called Artist and the City: Residence. So I can't return to my hometown of Zaporizhzhia just yet, although I miss it very much. I am learning German and delving into Germany’s cultural narrative.

Last year, we screened the Travelling Docudays UA films at the Art Museum Moritzburg (Halle) and at BRUKS University Marburg. This time, we also have plans to hold the Travelling Docudays UA in the city of Giessen.

I'm curious about how you connected with German organisations and arranged the screenings.

After our ‘landing’ in the Halle (Saale) residency in May 2022, facilitated by the Berlin NGO Dekabristen, particularly thanks to manager Tinatin Gurgenidze, we quickly engaged with local organisations in the cultural and artistic realm. The wonderful Moritzburg Art Museum became our partner, hosting a screening of the film Ivan’s Land – a poignant narrative on preserving your identity, heritage, and roots.

Our enduring collaborations also include the Goethe-Institut, House of Europe, the US Embassy in Ukraine, and numerous other international organisations that support our projects. Cultprojector has launched a new project – the Bridging Gaps Animation Laboratory Berlin–Zaporizhzhia – in collaboration with the LINOLEUM Contemporary Animation and Media Arts Festival.

For now, I am staying in Germany because I believe my presence here is important both for the Ukrainian community and as a cultural ambassador to Germans. Many foreigners have questions, and some of them, especially young people, get rid of clichés and stereotypes faster in discussions. The influence of russia has persisted here for years, yet the Ukrainian community occasionally surprises with its lack of awareness. For instance, in my German class, five people from Odesa were surprised to learn from me that “Odesa” in Ukrainian is spelled with one “s.” It's funny and sad at the same time. While I don’t know where I will end up in six months or a year, Ukraine remains my top priority!

In your opinion, what makes the Travelling Docudays UA unique?

The word “travelling” is crucial here. The festival travels, linking people through shared values. Many, including organisers and attendees, have temporarily relocated to different regions of Ukraine or even other countries globally. Nevertheless, they remain connected through the Travelling Docudays UA – via films and discussions about essential topics. I see the festival's fundamental mission in fostering communication and uniting a vast array of wonderful individuals.

2022, a screening within the Travelling Docudays UA at the Art Museum Moritzburg (Halle)

Please tell us about the period of work on the festival that was the most challenging for you and why?

I thought that it couldn't get any more difficult than during the coronavirus. However, it turned out that right now we are facing the most challenging conditions for organising the Travelling Docudays UA. We, the festival coordinators, find ourselves in new places, and understanding the new audience remains a challenge. While in my hometown, I felt the support of my partners from the Zaporizhzhia Regional Youth centre, and I knew my audience who were waiting for us every year, here in an unfamiliar city I struggle to understand the context and the community. At the same time, in Germany, we have much to discuss. There are a lot of russians here, which is an open trigger. They were here long before us, and now, they deliberately complicate the lives of Ukrainians abroad with aggressive attacks, provocations, and slander.

What pro-Russian messages, obvious to Ukrainians, have become so ingrained in Germany that locals may no longer perceive them as propaganda?

Quotes from Pushkin and Dostoevsky are everywhere. Last year, we received an invitation to screen the Travelling Docudays UA’s films at an alternative cinema located in a Mennonite building – it looks beautiful, but it's called Pushkino. We opted not to screen there due to the association with the name. There are wonderful, sincere people working there, and we discussed this. They said, “Honestly, we don't even know where the name of the theatre came from. We always thought Pushkino comes from the word 'kino' (cinema).”

I would also like to share a few instances from my German language courses. On the website of a local integration school, there's a photo of a monument to Pushkin accompanied by his quotes. And there’s more. Once we were appointed a new teacher from Kharkiv, Frau Lyudmila, who has lived in Germany for 26 years, and we were even a little excited. But on the very first day we met her, she declared herself a russian language teacher, who had no idea what the Ukrainian language was, and made us start the lessons with a quote, “Study, study, and study – as the Great Lenin bequeathed!”

It came as a shock for all of us. Despite leaving Ukraine 26 years ago, her views remained unchanged – with her persistent soviet mentality! At every step of the way, she openly expressed disdain for Ukrainian refugees. Propagandistic russian manifestations await us at every turn. There is so much work for Ukrainians here! For a very long time, russians have invested and are still investing significant resources in imposing their culture. This is evident in clichés like Pushkino, where people don't recall the name’s origin, yet everybody is used to it, and it has become deeply ingrained. I think there’s a lot of work for us, for several more Ukrainian generations.

Another interesting observation is the entirely different sense of time here. As we were getting to know the local community, people complained to us, “Oh, the coronavirus has mowed down everything: art workshops, galleries, art centres…” We couldn't help but think, “Coronavirus? That was 50 years ago!” Ukrainians, it seems, live at a much faster pace than the Germans. We have strong management skills, we work faster, think faster, and change faster.

The year 2022 has changed the lives of us all. Many of the festival’s viewers joined the Armed Forces to defend Ukraine, many lost their homes or faced the death of their loved ones. But despite the war, you decided to hold the Travelling Docudays UA. Why?