This year, the 21st Travelling Docudays UA started in Boryspil. From October 8 to 12, the audience had an opportunity to watch The Kyiv Files and five more documentaries.

Two of the films presented at the Travelling Festival deal with the topics of war and an individual. The films Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil and Girl Away from Home emphasize the importance of cherishing one’s family and maintaining contact with it. Interestingly, both films capture the protagonists' conscious shift to the Ukrainian language. At the beginning of the film, their families still speak Russian, but by the end, everyone is harmoniously communicating in Ukrainian. Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil by Karolina Uskakovych is a lively film about intergenerational relationships. The older generation was especially moved by the film. In addition, the audience included people who were forced to leave their homes after the full-scale invasion. During the screening, they shared their feelings and their experience of resilience and hope for the better against all odds.

The screening of the film Girl Away From Home was attended by the director Alisa Kovalenko and the protagonists – Nastya and her mother. This film is a touching documentation of a forced family separation and the feelings of a girl who feels nostalgic for her lost past. After the screening, the audience discussed the importance of sports, music and art for maintaining mental health in times of crisis, such as the full-scale war that the Ukrainians are going through right now. During the discussion, Nastya, the film's protagonist, also shared her story about the way her life has changed after she was forced to move to Germany, the difficulties of being a protagonist of a documentary, and her new achievements in sports. Alisa Kovalenko, the film's director, spoke about her military experience and her future projects, which will be based on her own letters to her son from the frontline.

Alisa Kovalenko, director of the film Girl Away From Home, at the screening at the 21st Travelling Docudays UA in Boryspil

During the Travelling Docudays UA, the audience also watched the film Kiosk by Polish director Daniel Stopa. The film touches upon the issue of psychological liberation of a “victim” of toxic relationships and violence, and a heated discussion arose in the audience after the screening. According to the viewers, the protagonist is not yet ready to change her life, as evidenced by her words and behavior. After the screening, the audience actively discussed psychological issues and shared personal stories related to the experience of observing and leaving codependent relationships.

One of the most positive films of the festival was the short film Nelson the Pig by Anneke de Lind van Wijngaarden. The aesthetics of pig life and lack of its understanding by arrogant people demonstrate the tragicomic nature of human existence. The discussion after the screening continued on the topic of humanity, responsibility for our “little brothers” and love for our neighbors.

The documentary film Caught in the Net by Czech directors Barbora Chalupová and Vit Klusák was screened within the framework of the information campaign “Sexual abuse on the Internet: how to protect children,” launched this year by NGO Docudays and NGO Magnolia. A private screening of the film was held for regional schools’ psychologists and  adolescent psychologists in the city.

Caught in the Net deals with the topic of pedophilia and sexual abuse on the Internet. The statistics of such offenses are quite high, both abroad and in Ukraine. Before the screening, Oleksiy Sydorenko, representative of the NGO Magnolia, spoke about the Stop Crime portal, which collects reports of sexual abuse from different countries. The expert mentioned the statistics of reports from Ukraine and showed psychologists working with children how they can leave a claim about such offenses on this website.

After the screening, psychologist Mariana Hevko shared with her colleagues her own experience and advice on how to work with requests for information about sexual abuse against teenagers. She spoke about the stages of working with child victims, important aspects that should be noted, and procedure for reporting to law enforcement agencies that would punish the offenders.

The topics proved to be relevant, albeit complex. School psychologists shared their experiences and cases, which turned the film discussion into an exchange of professional experiences and made the meeting useful for all participants.

As always, the Travelling Docudays UA was fruitful and informative. Each film was an event that gave impetus to thought and reflection. We are looking forward to new festivals and meetings!

Title photo: a still from the film Kiosk.

The 21st Travelling Docudays UA is supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine, and International Media Support. The opinions, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of respective governments or charitable organizations of these countries. The author(s) of this publication are solely responsible for its content.

NGO Docudays is a non-profit public organization that implements cultural and educational projects at the intersection of cinema and human rights in Ukraine and abroad. Among them are: The Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival and the Docudays UA Travelling International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, the Docudays UA DOCU/CLUB Network of Human Rights Media Education Film Clubs, the human rights program RIGHTS NOW! the DOCUSPACE online cinema, the DOCU/PRO Ukrainian film industry development platform and the DOCU/CLASS documentary workshop, as well as the Docudays UA DOCU/SYNTHESIS interdisciplinary art program and the War Archive, launched in cooperation with the INFOSCOPE initiative.

Media partners of the 21st Docudays UA Travelling Festival: Vgoru Media Platform, GURT Resource Center.