Two DocNomads films presented in Docudays UA, Ukraine
Zlata Veresniak´s doc short Are You Here? and Daryna Mamaisur’s doc short I Stumble Every Time I Hear From Kyiv were selected for competition in the 20th Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival held in Kyiv on 2 to 8 June.
By Zlata Veresnia (Ukraine) • 13’ • 2023
Synopsis:
Oryna, an 18-year-old Ukrainian girl, fled her homeland during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while all her family, including her 7-year-old sister Ksiusha, decided to remain there. The film observes the daily remote communication between Oryna and her younger sister, and reveals their close bonds of sisterhood, which remain strong despite their separation, the constant presence of the war, and the natural process of growing apart.
By Daryna Mamaisur (Ukraine) • 17' • 2022
Synopsis:
“I have no words to say” is a phrase one can often hear when the reality of the war is so striking that language seems incapable of describing it. While studying in Bruxelles, Daryna Mamaisur is caught up in Russia’s full-scale invasion of her country. In the springtime, when chestnut trees are blooming in Brussels and Kyiv at the same time, she makes a film capturing that spring at a distance. As she keeps up a visual correspondence with a friend from Kyiv, she faces the question: while making a film about war, how can we speak about wounds that are fresh and ongoing?