We continue to commend our extraordinary citizens who, despite enduring nearly a thousand days of constant shelling and the proximity of the front line, have successfully organized the Travelling Festival in Kharkiv. This event spanned three days, covered five locations, and featured eight significant events with influential speakers, including opinion leaders who have already secured their place in history. We spoke with regional coordinator Olha Solapanova to learn what made the 2024 festival in this heroic city memorable and were its highlights.

 
“This time, we adopted a format more similar to that of the festival itself, allowing viewers to experience a variety of events at different venues within a short period of time. It appears to have worked out!” says Olha, who is organizing the Travelling Festival for the second time this year. “We received positive feedback: many new viewers came for the first screening and stayed until the last, along with those who had eagerly awaited the Travelling Festival since the end of last year's event. It was evident that people were keen to communicate; they actively participated in discussions, and later shared their impressions via messages, sought expert advice, and so forth.”

 The first day of the program received the most feedback, as it featured a truly exceptional event: the festival commenced with a screening of the film The Kyiv Files followed by an in-depth lecture titled "Sex, Spies, and Other KGB Secrets." The lecture was delivered by Volodymyr Birchak, historian, editor of “Historical Truth” website, former deputy director of the SBU archive, and currently a sergeant in the “Khartiya” Brigade. Additionally, Volodymyr served as a historical consultant for the documentary The Kyiv Files and played a crucial role in production of the film. The conversation was moderated by Volodymyr's colleague, fellow journalist, publicist, and historian Vakhtang Kipiani.

“It was truly exceptional. However, much depends on the individual needs and interests of each person. For instance, the following day, we screened The Kyiv Files again and held a discussion with Ihor Chernichenko, historian at the Kharkiv Human Rights Group. This was a more intimate event, characterized by personal reflections, memories, and experiences, as well as the opportunity to ask questions and receive sincere answers. Many viewers appreciated this format. In essence, everyone could find something that resonated with them at the festival.”

Photo: a still from The Kyiv Files film

The films Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil, Kiosk, and Caught in the Net also received positive feedback: during the discussions, the experts shared practical methods of supporting oneself and others in stressful situations, talked about the legal aspects of domestic violence and the ways to protect children from sexual abuse on the Internet.

They also focused on accessibility issues. During the festival, we had an open conversation about accessibility with journalist Volodymyr Noskov, who has been visually impaired since childhood. He shared valuable advice on how to offer and provide assistance to people with disabilities. Additionally, we attempted to watch one of the films using only audio description, without video, to gain some understanding of what it means to “see with your ears.”

“We collaborated with Volodymyr during the 20th Travelling Festival and decided to continue this practice. People appreciate such experiments because they serve as a strong foundation for further discussions,” says Olha Solapanova. “The conclusion of this year's festival is that we certainly have areas for improvement and much room to grow in this direction. Speaking about the Travelling Festival in general, the most valuable aspect for me is the feeling that such events are truly necessary, regardless of whether the audience consists of seventy people or just eight. And of course, given current circumstances, the mere possibility of holding the festival is invaluable.”

Author: Valeriya Sheremet, Communications Manager of the 21st Travelling Docudays UA.

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.