The 22nd edition of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival took place in Kyiv from June 6 to 12. Screenings, events, and exhibitions were held at the Zhovten Cinema (26 Kostyantynivska St.), KINO42 (11B Kostyantynivska St.), the Ukraїnka Gallery (8/1 Ihorivska St.), 1818 Rooftop Bar (11 Kostyantynivska St.), as well as online at the DOCUSPACE cinema. After the festival officially closed, viewers were treated to an exclusive Audience Day on June 13, featuring encore screenings of award-winning films and festival highlights.
The central theme of this year’s festival was A Rare Resource. In this article, we’ll revisit some of our brightest memories and share statistics that show just how many rare, countless, and invaluable resources — people — came together to engage in dialogue about human rights, the power of documentary film, and the role of participatory democracy at the 22nd edition of Docudays UA.
“We’ve heard plenty about Russia’s territorial ambitions, geopolitical interests, and even the controversy over President Zelenskyy’s outfit. These have all become topics of international debate. But people are rarely part of these political conversations — and that’s not okay. That’s why human rights organisations around the world launched the People First! campaign to bring the human dimension of Ukraine back into these discussions,”
— said human rights defender Oleksandra Matviychuk in her opening speech. Together, we became part of the “People Are Key!” performance, demanding the release of prisoners of war, unlawfully detained civilians, deported Ukrainian children, and political prisoners held by Russia.
Fittingly, Oleksandra was followed on stage by a long-awaited friend of the festival, human rights activist and member of this year’s Rights Jury, Maksym Butkevych, who was freed from Russian captivity in October 2024. He shared:
“To be honest, I was overwhelmed with gratitude, but not very surprised, when I looked at the photos of people holding signs with my name at the opening of Docudays UA [editor’s note: in 2022 and 2023]. I immediately remembered holding a similar sign that said ‘Free Sentsov.’”
Despite 3 sleepless nights when Kyiv was under drone and ballistic attacks, 918 rare and inexhaustible resources came together to co-create this year’s festival: 129 guests and participants of events, 67 speakers, 82 partners, 202 guests and participants of the industry platform, 24 regional coordinators of the Travelling Festival, 48 moderators from the DOCU/CLUB Network, our tireless team of 142 people, and 109 volunteers (both on-site and online), aged 14 to 46, who worked across all festival locations.
Guests arrived in Ukraine after long and difficult journeys from Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Latvia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Sakartvelo, and Croatia. Among this year’s international jury members were Niels Pagh Andersen, Christine Camdessus, Marc Bauder, and Giorgi Mrevlishvili. Filmmakers who joined us with their works included Nicolás Molina, Maarten De Schutter, Giedrė Beinoriūtė, Igor Bezinović, Auberi Edler, Gar O’Rourke, and producer Uldis Cekulis, who curated a special film program for the youngest viewers. In addition, DOCU/PRO platform experts who came in person included Mikael Opstrup, Brigid O’Shea, Fabrice Puchault, Clément Touron, Manon Duverger, Isabel Arrate Fernandez, Wouter Jansen, and Tomáš Poštulka.
The festival’s French friends, Sophie Boucher-Petersen, Marie and Dominique Rebaud of Comb’art Ukraine, organized a flash mob before the opening ceremony of Docudays UA, during which everyone could learn to dance the Hutsul Arkan and Catalan Sardana — dances our nations performed before major battles.
“I realize how important my decision was to attend this festival in person. I’m very glad I did, and I’m grateful for the experience.”
Marc Bauder, German film director and producer, jury member of DOCU/UKRAINE and DOCU/SHORTS
The festival’s film program was shaped by 5 members of the Selection Council: Dar'ya Averchenko, Roman Bondarchuk, Yuliya Kovalenko, Gennady Kofman, and Alla Tiutiunnyk; 2 programmers: Olga Sydorushkina and Oleh Melnychuk; and 6 experts: Yana Riman, Tetiana Kononenko, Oleksandra Kalinichenko, Serhiy Ksaverov, Vlad Holovko, and Polina Yakovleva; 15 preselection volunteers: Anastasiya Nibbe, Serafima Melnychuk, Anastasiya Tsyhanok, Viktoriya Ivanova, Bohdana Orel, Yeva Zuryan, Mariya Cherniy, Iryna Davidenko, Yana Dudko, Anastasiya Kolodka, Faïna Zholobak, Marharyta Ostrovska, Nayana Mostova, Kateryna-Daniela Hulbytska, and Olena Zashko.
“What fascinates me about this festival is, first and foremost, the people — Ukrainians. And secondly, the pride they take: in the loud applause during screenings, they showed their appreciation and they're not shy about it, like at the screening of Gar O’Rourke’s Sanatorium. It’s lovely.”
Michael, festival attendee from Australia working in a Ukrainian NGO
“I believe this is a well-organized and impressive festival. It feels like the people attending are truly passionate about cinema. As a director, this is the kind of audience I always hope for. To me, in our fast-paced digital world, the rarest resource today might just be undivided attention — sitting in a theater for 90 minutes, fully immersed in a documentary story. It’s something we should cherish.”
Gar O’Rourke, Irish filmmaker, author of this year’s opening film Sanatorium
In total, we issued 10,819 tickets to our audience. Of those, 438 were offered at a discounted rate to students, school pupils, and internally displaced persons; and 405 were free of charge for pensioners and military personnel. The full festival schedule was available via the ArtWizard app, while our website docudays.ua recorded 54,865 unique visitors during the festival period. Our accreditation team tirelessly handed out badges and packed gift tote bags with items from our partners Lush and DeLaMark, as well as printed festival guides and sticker packs featuring QR codes linking to the new Electronic Catalogue of Ukrainian Documentary Films.
Throughout the festival, we collaborated with 20 national media outlets. A total of 100 journalists and media professionals received accreditation to cover the event through reviews, features, and articles. Together with our ambassadors, we launched 6 thematic film selections to engage our viewers, and about ten more were published as Instagram stories. In just one week, Docudays UA’s online community grew by 1,300 followers. And in our festival texts and speeches, the team made 157 typos and misprints — we wonder if you spot any of them?
This year, the RIGHTS NOW! human rights program spanned 6 days, with events running from 10 a.m. to past 8 p.m. The program included 6 “Coffees with Human Rights Defenders,” 15 panel discussions (including one hosted by the Ukraine War Archive and the DOCU/CLUB Network), 5 “Human Library” sessions, and 2 “Frontline Bridges.” In total, 28 events were co-created with the support of 9 partner NGOs, projects, and institutions, featuring 106 speakers and moderators, and drawing 775 live attendees. Screenings of short documentaries and experimental films within the human rights program showed that full auditoriums can be filled not only by Oscar-winning films, but also, for instance, by a discussion on stateless people or childhood during wartime.
“I had the opportunity to speak at a human rights event where I talked about criminal liability for collaboration. I also met representatives of international foundations, producers, filmmakers, and human rights analysts — and gained my first experience in public pitching, for which I’m very grateful. The festival brought me together with amazing people who, I believe, will remain a part of my life. I felt the presence of a community that is willing to listen, to understand, and to support.”
Anna Kozmenko, lawyer at the Strategic Litigation Centre of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, producer of a debut documentary
At the 22nd Docudays UA, the Ukraine War Archive team presented, for the first time, a non-competitive program titled “UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE / EVIDENCE.” It featured 5 screenings showcasing 6 films created by human rights organizations and media outlets: Radio Svoboda, The Kyiv Independent, the Center for Spatial Technologies, the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Gwara Media, and Slidstvo.Info. The filmmakers also discussed the challenges of documenting war crimes in a panel moderated by Viktoriya Hubareva, a journalist with Rubryka. More than 500 people attended the Ukraine War Archive events, including 100 who visited the Ukraine War Archive Viewing Room to witness firsthand how the platform works.
This year, the DOCU/SYNTHESIS program joined forces with the Ukraine War Archive to organize the interdisciplinary arts lab LAB: DOCU/SYNTHESIS × Ukraine War Archive. The lab’s open call received 188 applications, from which the jury selected 32 participants for the educational module. Afterward, 10 finalist projects were implemented with the support of the Lab and invited mentors. The result was the exhibition “How We Remember,” hosted at the Ukraїnka Gallery. The show also featured 1 additional artwork by lab participants that was developed independently. Around 240 people visited the exhibition, and another 45 attended the artist talks that expanded the program. DOCU/SYNTHESIS also hosted a special screening of Zhanna Kadyrova’s film IDP, followed by a discussion on preserving cultural heritage at the Zhovten cinema. More than 50 people attended the event.
“To me, working with the topic of memory, as well as exploring heritage, is the most relevant issue in today’s context. The way these artists approached it through their own lens inspired me to reflect on memory as a form of responsibility — what we choose to preserve and what we allow to fade. Digitized materiality becomes a new method of preservation, especially vital in times of war and uncertainty. In that sense, this new experience has become equally significant to me.”
Dmytro Prutkin, viewer, photographer
During the festival, the DOCU/CLUB Network partnered with the Human Rights Department to host 2 events as part of the awareness campaign “Sexual Violence Online: How to Protect Children,” developed throughout the year by Docudays NGO and the national NGO Magnolia. Festivalgoers received 1,000 informational brochures to help them keep children safe from this threat. The DOCU/CLUB team also organized a 3-day conference attended by 48 film club moderators from across Ukraine. 8 experts joined the training sessions on how to moderate documentary film screenings in club settings.
As part of the DOCU/CLASS workshop series, we held 5 panel discussions on timely topics for the Ukrainian film community. A total of 21 speakers participated, including experienced film professionals, curators, and cultural managers.
“I’ve been thinking about how being in a movie theater and simply watching a film is a privilege these days. With the war, we’re living through hard experiences and often feel overwhelmed by endless responsibilities. I feel incredibly lucky to be here. I also come to Docudays UA to meet friends and reconnect with people I may have lost touch with — it’s a space for unexpected, warm encounters and live conversation.”
Natalka Diachenko, viewer, photographer
A total of 202 people received DOCU/PRO industry accreditation this year. They attended 14 events, including presentations by ARTE France and Suspilne, Ukraine’s national public broadcaster; masterclasses on film promotion and distribution hosted by Ukrainian and international professionals, panel discussions on international co-productions, and more. One day was dedicated entirely to mental health in the film industry, with discussions on working with trauma in the cinema field and strategies for filmmakers and protagonists to support themselves during the filmmaking process. Altogether, DOCU/PRO events, both online and in person, attracted around 513 attendees. This year also marked the second edition of the RAW DOC program, designed for filmmakers developing their film projects who want to conduct test screenings for international industry experts and receive professional feedback. During these closed screenings, participants had the chance to connect with potential partners, including representatives of European public broadcasters, sales agents, and festival programmers.
“It’s an incredibly strong time for Ukrainian documentaries. For instance, we noticed that films from the national competition were screened in Berlin, Cannes, and Venice — that’s extraordinary. But this success isn’t just due to the talent of Ukrainian filmmakers — it’s the result of a whole ecosystem of people working together worldwide to bring these stories to audiences, because we all believe in their cultural and historical importance.”
Brigid O’Shea, tutor and consultant, director of the European Documentary Network (DAE), invited RAW DOC showcase expert
Being aware that the next generations are also a precious and rare resource, this year we brought back the DOCU/CAMP project for our youngest festivalgoers. Over 6 days, the creative space Baby Nest hosted 50 exciting sessions for exploring the world and oneself. Children mixed colors in ebru painting workshops, crafted aroma sachets, painted eco tote bags, prepared treats, practiced green design, and explored summertime Podil. Altogether, their parents gained more than 72 hours to fully immerse themselves in the festival program.
At the awards ceremony, we presented 5 main prizes and 5 special mentions, along with the Andriy Matrosov Award from the Docudays UA team, the Student Jury Award, the Audience Award, and an honorary diploma from the Ukrainian Film Critics Union jury. For the first time ever, we also presented 4 partner awards to RAW DOC projects within the DOCU/PRO platform.
“Many of the films we saw in this year’s program explore the pain of the world, but documentary filmmakers bring that pain into the open — and I hope that reflection on that pain will inspire to act.”
Niels Pagh Andersen, Danish editor of more than 250 films, juror of DOCU/WORLD and invited DOCU/PRO expert
The festival’s photo team — Stas Kartashov, Valentyn Kuzan, Anna Soli, Polina Polikarpova, Nazar Furyk, Serhiy Khandusenko, and Nastya Telikova — captured a total of 9,838 images. And within a short period of time, our Flickr page with these photos racked up 456,466 views!
At the 22nd edition of Docudays UA, we showcased 71 films from 38 countries — from Chile to Bhutan. The competitions included 15 Ukrainian films: 7 national premieres and 4 world premieres. In the online cinema DOCUSPACE, we screened 14 films — viewed 732 times — all of which included closed captions and audio descriptions, making them accessible for people with hearing or visual impairments.
We also enlisted 7 opinion leaders to help promote accessible cinema at the festival, 5 of whom took part in an experiment: watching a film blindfolded and then sharing their experience and thoughts on the importance of accessible filmmaking and its development.
“To me, it’s important to emphasize that accessibility is not a convenience — it’s a basic human need. We all have the right to culture, to art, to quality cinema. In this regard, Docudays UA has long taken on the responsibility of ensuring access to cultural content.”
Uliana Pcholkina, activist and accessibility ambassador
We conducted an audience survey, which was completed by 278 respondents: 99% expressed interest in attending future screenings of human rights documentaries, and 95% noted that they felt safe during the festival.
In addition to this year’s screening and event programme, we brought back the practice of waste sorting at the festival. Over the week of Docudays UA, we collected 49 kilograms of recyclable materials. The largest share was glass (40 kg), which will be turned into new bottles, tiles, or even construction materials. We also gathered 5 kg of waste paper, which may find a new life as cardboard boxes or paper towels; 3 kg of PET plastic bottles — that is, potential fleece jackets or shopping bags; and 1 kg of aluminium cans, to become new cookware or tin containers. Thanks to our shared efforts, we avoided approximately 38 kg of CO₂ emissions. That’s roughly the same amount produced by a car trip from Kyiv to Cherkasy (≈198 km), or by burning 16 litres of fuel.
“Around the festival, a tradition is forming not only for directors to come and present their films, but also for the audience to perceive them as a part of our cultural public life. In my opinion, Docudays UA is a front-line vanguard of Ukrainian culture and of the history that is in the making. That’s why it is precisely here, at this point — in the Zhovten cinema — that our history is being shaped. It might seem like a local event, but in fact, it is part of a much larger process that influences life in Ukraine.”
Mstyslav Chernov, Ukrainian filmmaker. His film 2000 Meters to Andriivka received the main awards in the DOCU/WORLD, RIGHTS NOW! categories, as well as the Audience Award.
We are grateful to the Defence Forces of Ukraine for making it possible to continue holding the festival during the war. The final tally of the 22nd Docudays UA is still ongoing, but we are extremely pleased to end this list of countless rare resources with the news that, together with our audience, we were able to raise 254,760 UAH for a joint initiative with the HURKIT! Charity Foundation. These funds will be used to purchase air defense equipment for the Sumy region and to support the families of our colleagues who are currently in captivity. A detailed report from HURKIT! will be published later on our website and social media.
Recognizing that Docudays UA is itself a rare resource — one that people want to return to — we will, after a short break, begin planning the 22nd Travelling Docudays UA and the 23rd Docudays UA 2026. Stay with us online: we have uploaded 17 recordings of this year’s discussions to our DOCUSPACE online cinema!
Comments were collected and recorded by: Ivan Hlukhenkyi, Zakhar Manukhov, Mariia Matiashova, Kseniia Opria.
The material includes quotes from an article by Zmina.info.
The 22nd Docudays UA took place with financial support from the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and the International Renaissance Foundation. The views, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the governments, or charitable organizations of these countries. Responsibility for the content lies solely with the authors.
