On a Sunday evening, residents and guests of Chernivtsi gathered for the Travelling Docudays UA screening of the film Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil by young Ukrainian director Karolina Uskakovych.

The cozy hall of the MCU Youth Residence warmly welcomed everyone interested in watching the film and engaging with a “living library” – a person sharing their unique experiences with the audience. This time, the guest of the screening was Maryna Provotorova, expert, chairwoman of the NGO “Art Guard and Me,” writer, journalist, and civic activist from Siverskodonetsk, who now calls Chernivtsi her second home.

The film struck a chord with the audience, particularly through one of its characters – a grandmother who, despite the horrors and hardships of war, continues her work amidst air raid sirens and explosions, planting and nurturing her tomatoes.

After the screening, Maryna Provotorova shared her experiences since 2014, when she first encountered war. Like all Ukrainians, she has been living with its reality ever since. For her, just as for the women in Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil, working with the soil and connecting with nature became a therapeutic practice, a shield against the terrors and traumas of war.

However, it’s not only the soil that provides solace in times of crisis. Maryna also writes poetry and short stories and participates in the "Cup of New Life" project by the Ukrainian People’s House in Chernivtsi. Additionally, she has published a guidebook introducing readers to the cultural heritage of her native Siverskodonetsk before the war. During the Docudays UA event in Chernivtsi, Maryna read aloud her short story “My Siverskoodonetsk – A City of Dreamlike Memories” from the collection “Stories of the Strong.”

Among the audience were residents of Mariupol, including journalist and civic activist Svitlana Kuzminska, who noted, “Maryna Provotorova’s stories, just like the life-affirming film 'Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil,' inspire and encourage us to live on.”

Title photo: a still from the film Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil.

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.