In Uzhhorod, as part of the 22nd Travelling Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, a screening and discussion of the film Last Song from Kabul by directors Kevin Macdonald and Ruhi Hamid took place. The event was organised by NGO Vested Carpathian Human Rights Agency in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Uzhhorod and a relocated film club. The audience included active city residents, students, human rights advocates, and everyone concerned with the topics of freedom, culture, and human resilience.

The discussion was moderated by Maria Mendzhul, the regional coordinator of the Travelling Docudays UA; and Nataliia Kryvoruchko, Head of SOS Children’s Villages Uzhhorod. They invited the audience into a profound conversation about Afghanistan, a country where music, typically a universal language of freedom, has now become a symbol of risk, resistance, and hope.

Photo: Discussion of the film Last Song from Kabul

A film that reveals the vulnerability of freedom

Last Song from Kabul is a sharp reminder of how quickly what seems ordinary can disappear: the right to speak, to create, to be oneself. For the Uzhhorod audience, who are experiencing the consequences of war and social transformations, the film became a particularly powerful point of empathy.

The film shows not only the consequences of repression and political pressure, but also the strength of human dignity. The protagonists try to preserve music — and through it, their identity. Their resilience awakens in the viewer the understanding that art can be a form of resistance, a space of freedom, even when freedoms themselves are being taken away.

Audience voices: Feelings that are impossible to keep to yourself

The discussion after the screening turned out to be exceptionally emotional. Participants shared what moved them the most:

About losing freedom:
“It felt as though the film pulled us out of our comfortable everyday life and forced us to look at a reality where freedom can disappear in a single day. The legal concepts we are used to seeing in theory became human stories of lost dignity here.”

About the power of art:
“The moments when the protagonists hold on to their language, music, and culture are both a cry for help and a manifestation of incredible strength. We were watching not just events, but a struggle for the right to remain oneself.”

About community responsibility:
“The film leaves an emotional silence, but also a need to speak. Behind every legal norm stand living people, their fear and their hope.”

Photo: Screening of the film Last Song from Kabul

Important event

The screening of Last Song from Kabul in Uzhhorod became not only a cultural event, but also a space for dialogue about the nature of human rights. The film underscores that freedom is not an abstraction but an everyday reality that must be protected. And even in the darkest times, art remains something that sustains a person and unites a community.

For the Travelling Docudays UA, such gatherings are a way to open important topics through cinema, cultivate sensitivity to the experiences of others, and inspire action.

Author: Maria Mendzhul

The 22nd Travelling Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and International Media Support. The opinions, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily correspond to the views of the European Union, the governments or charities of these countries. Responsibility for the content of the publication lies solely on its authors.