This autumn, Docudays UA will once again traditionally set out on a journey across the country! Throughout October and November, the Travelling Festival will visit 19 regions and dozens of cities and towns, with both live and online events — so that everyone has the opportunity to see documentaries from around the world about memory, history, struggle, and agency, to discuss challenges for human rights and citizen participation in democratic processes in wartime, and to try to find solutions to relevant problems.

We invite you to the press conference of the 22nd Travelling Docudays UA Human Rights Documentary Film Festival under the theme Rare Resource, which will be held on 25 September at 11:00 a.m. live on our website and on our Facebook page. 

What is special about the 22nd Travelling Festival? How do we conceptualise this year’s festival team, what and who is our “rare resource”? In which films we are going to look for support and strength to keep on moving forward? What are the complex, sensitive, but extremely important topics that will be raised in the RIGHTS NOW! Human Rights Programme? Finally, what role can be played by cooperation and participatory democracy, the willingness to directly take part in decision making and change making in our communities and our country?

These topics will be discussed by:

• Svitlana Smal, Executive Director of NGO Docudays;

• Yuliia Kovalenko, Director of the Programming Department of NGO Docudays;

• Anastasiia Bahalika, Director of the Human Rights Department of NGO Docudays.

The conversation will be moderated by the editor of the Travelling Docudays UA website and journalist Oleksandra Berezovska.

In addition, at the press conference, we will present the festival trailer, talk about the opening film and the unique opportunity to watch it online, share the localities and dates where and when we plan to have the first screenings. We will also introduce the Travelling Festival’s ambassador, a veteran, prominent journalist and human rights advocate, and an old associate of the festival.

Join us on Thursday, 25 September, at 11:00 a.m. on a livestream on the Travelling Docudays UA website or the Festival Facebook page and ask your questions in the comments under the event, or email your questions to [email protected] and we will submit them for the broadcast.

For more detailed information about the Festival and events in the regions, to discuss partnership opportunities, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Travelling Festival’s Communications Manager, Valeriia Sheremet, by email: [email protected], or by phone: +38 (073) 350-44-50.

Festival organisers: Non-governmental Organisation “Docudays,” Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Charity Organisation “Charity and Health Fund,” and NGO “Center for Modern Information Technology and Visual Arts.” The Festival’s partners and co-organisers in the regions are 29 well-known civil initiatives and organisations.

Media partners: Suspilne, Hromadske Radio, GURT, Vgoru.

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 reflect the views of the European Union, the governments or charities of the member countries. Responsibility for the contents of the publication lies solely on its authors.

Docudays is a non-profit non-governmental organisation which realises cultural and educational projects on the intersection of cinema and human rights in Ukraine and abroad. These projects include the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival and the Travelling Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, the DOCU/CLUB Network of Human Rights Media Education Film Clubs, the RIGHTS NOW! Human Rights Programme, the DOCUSPACE Online Cinema, the DOCU/PRO Platform for the development of the Ukrainian film industry and the DOCU/CLASS Documentary Workshop, the DOCU/SYNTHESIS Interdisciplinary Art Programme, and the Ukraine War Archive, launched in cooperation with the INFOSCOPE initiative.