Among the topics highlighted in this year’s human rights program RIGHTS NOW! – and deeply resonating with Ukrainian society – is the issue of rehabilitation and reintegration of those released from Russian captivity. As part of the 22nd Travelling Docudays UA, together with the DOCU/CLUB Network, we will hold a series of special screenings of the documentary film Witnesses. Captivity Kills created by the Ukraine War Archive team, which explores this issue through the personal stories of relatives of prisoners and the former captives themselves.

The documentary Witnesses. Captivity Kills, directed by Maryna Kronhlevska and Tetiana Symon, is the second film in a series based on materials from the Ukraine War Archive – a project by the NGO Docudays and Infoscope. Today, it is the most extensive digital repository that preserves and systematizes millions of records about Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukraine War Archive team has recorded over 950 detailed interviews with witnesses of Russian war crimes. This film tells the story of one of the largest of them – the terrorist attack in Olenivka on the night of July 28–29, 2022, when the Russian side blew up the prison colony where Ukrainian prisoners of war – defenders of Azovstal in Mariupol – were held. According to Ukrainian investigators, at least 53 defenders were killed and another 130 injured. Independent observers and international organizations were never granted access to the explosion site – only Russian propagandists were.

Photo: still from the film Witnesses. Captivity Kills

The film is composed of testimonies from soldiers who were also held captive in Olenivka, interviews with families still waiting for their loved ones to return, and the few photos and videos from Mariupol captured by eyewitnesses.

“The film should evoke a desire to join the struggle for the release of our prisoners of war. To do that, everyone must understand the context. But I often meet people who know nothing about Olenivka – somehow, it hasn’t taken root in our collective memory,” says director Maryna Kronhlevska. “Like many others, I was afraid to look at those horrifying images. I couldn’t let that pain through myself. So when the protagonists reached out to us asking to help amplify their voices, I had to relive all those events again – and I felt ashamed of my first reaction. I think that as a society, we need to grow up and experience this pain together, so that no one is left alone with their grief.”

This film from the DOCU/CLUB Network collection, in partnership with Docudays UA film clubs, will be screened at Travelling Festival human rights events dedicated to the rehabilitation and reintegration of former prisoners of war and illegally detained civilians to amplify their voices and discuss living with trauma, the path of return, and recovery. What do people go through in captivity, and what do they need afterward – physically, emotionally, legally? How should the state act, and how can communities, volunteers, and society help?

Photo: still from the film Witnesses. Captivity Kills

The discussions will include citizens with experience of captivity, relatives of prisoners, human rights defenders, activists, and experts from various fields, as well as the film’s co-directors.

“It was important for me to bring together in one space those who fought and experienced captivity, and those who remained behind, providing quiet support and waiting,” shares director and head of the War Crimes Witness Interview Program at the Ukraine War Archive, Tetiana Symon. “According to various estimates, 10–12 thousand Ukrainian soldiers are currently in captivity. That means about 50.000 people are waiting for their loved ones to return – often without any information, relying only on hope. It may not seem obvious, but that experience is just as traumatic and deserves equal attention and recognition. During my work, I also felt that relatives often believe they are alone in this struggle. That’s not true.”

Photo: director Tetiana Symon

To help build a system capable of truly protecting the rights of Ukrainians returning from Russian captivity, this year the Travelling Festival is launching a charitable fundraising campaign. This is a joint initiative of the festival and the Principle of Hope Foundation, established by human rights defender and Travelling Festival ambassador Maksym Butkevych.

You can support the fundraiser at festival events as well as online via the QR code on the website or a direct link to a special bank account.

Join the conversations about what matters in your communities and support those released from Russian captivity from anywhere in the country: your contribution and participation are invaluable.

Photo: still from the film Witnesses. Captivity Kills

The DOCU/CLUB Human Rights Media Education Film Club Network is one of the key strategic directions of the NGO Docudays, aimed at raising awareness of human rights and ensuring free access for Ukrainian citizens to the best documentary cinema from around the world. Currently, the Network unites more than 450 film clubs across Ukraine and abroad, based in schools and universities, libraries and youth centers, cultural and educational spaces, probation centers, correctional facilities, and other institutions.