A selection of powerful films from the Special Events programme and their connection to human rights topics, as highlighted by Docudays UA Programme Director Yuliia Kovalenko.
This year’s Special Events programme includes three films united by the pulse of human rights urgency. These films are closely tied to the RIGHTS NOW! section — they open up broad spaces for discussion and advocacy. In a sense, these films go beyond the cinema screen and call for action.
A still from film Dad’s Lullaby
Undoubtedly, one of the most pressing issues for Ukrainian society remains the protection of the rights of servicemen and servicewomen, veterans, and their families. This includes matters such as rotations, personnel management, discharge from the army, rehabilitation, payments, and communication with the relatives of those missing or killed in action. Clearly, both our society and the state still have a lot of “homework” to do in this area.
In the RIGHTS NOW! programme, we will discuss these topics during a dedicated panel discussion titled Protecting the Rights of Service Members: How Should the Ukrainian Army Evolve? featuring Olga Reshetylova, the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and Their Families.
On the big screen, these issues will be raised through the intimate story Dad’s Lullaby by Lesia Diak. This feature-length debut shows how the director, while observing her protagonist, gradually becomes an active presence on screen herself. The harm caused by war follows people far from the frontline — it continues to poison relationships, destroy families, and affects an increasingly wide circle of people. Learning to heal these wounds is an important task not only for those who live with them but for society as a whole, which otherwise risks becoming paralyzed.
A still from the film National Exams
Another film that reflects on the “homework” society must do — in an even more literal sense — takes us to Sakartvelo (Georgia). National Exams, directed by Giorgi Mrevlishvili, a member of this year’s RIGHTS NOW! jury team, follows Nana Mgaloblishvili, a teacher of Kartvelian language and literature, and her students preparing for the national exam. Nana barely survived the brutal violent crackdown on the anti-Soviet protest in Tbilisi in 1989 but suffered lifelong health consequences — a direct reminder of the cost and value of independence. It is this consciousness and decolonial perspective that she tries to teach her pupils — the young generation on which the country’s future depends. The painstaking decolonization work within society remains relevant for Ukraine as well, since the best vaccine against imperialist propaganda, apart from critical thinking, humanity has yet to invent. We will continue the conversation during the discussion Defending Democracy: The Threat of Pro-Russian Resurgence and Key Takeaways for Ukraine within the RIGHTS NOW! section, which will also feature the film’s director, Giorgi Mrevlishvili.
A still from My Sextortion Diary
The third film in the program symbolically builds a bridge to another important topic — work with children and teenagers. Patricia Franquesa’s My Sextortion Diary undoubtedly can be called a documentary horror story for anyone who has ever lost their gadget with personal information and access to various accounts. Patricia experienced far worse consequences than just losing a valuable device when her laptop was stolen. Albums with private photos and access to social media accounts make us extremely vulnerable to blackmailers and malicious actors in such situations. And children and teenagers remain the most vulnerable of all. Patricia’s film is essentially her diary, intermittently filmed from the day her laptop was stolen and throughout the entire ordeal of sexual blackmail by a secret stalker. Along this path, she faced systemic indifference and the slow response of the police, forcing her to invent her own — elegant yet powerful — way to resist this nightmare. How to protect children and teenagers from sexual violence on the internet will be discussed during the RIGHTS NOW! program workshop How to Recognise and Counter Online Sexual Abuse of Children. The event is part of the nationwide information campaign Sexual Violence on the Internet: How to Protect Children — a joint initiative by the NGO Docudays and the All-Ukrainian Public Organization Magnolia.
Main photo: a still from the film Dad’s Lullaby
The 22nd Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, International Renaissance Foundation. The opinions, conclusions, or recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the governments, or organisations of these countries. Responsibility for the content of the publication lies exclusively with the authors and editors of the publication.
