Opening of the Travelling Festival in Zaporizhzhia
Traces shines a light on Ukrainian women who, after surviving conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and torture during Russia’s war, refuse to remain silent. Through the journey of Iryna Dovhan, a former captive turned activist, who documents testimonies of affected women on the de-occupied territories of Ukraine, the film weaves a collective portrait of trauma while opening space for hope. Iryna gathers other survivors into a circle of courage and care. Together, they transform their pain into a force for truth, justice, and mutual support.
More than a document of war crimes, the film is a testament to resilience and the solidarity of women standing side by side.
Content warning: violence
Marysia Nikitiuk is an award-winning Ukrainian screenwriter and film director. Her debut feature, When the Trees Fall, received the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Script and premiered in Berlinale Panorama in 2018. She co-wrote Evge / Homeward by Nariman Aliev, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. In 2026, Marysia co-directed the documentary Traces with Alisa Kovalenko, which won the Audience Award in Berlinale Panorama.
Alongside her fiction work, Marysia has collaborated with the Voices of Children Foundation on art-based rehabilitation projects with teenagers affected by war, and created a trilogy of short films exploring war trauma.
Show time & place
Zaporizhia,
