Civil society experiences loss every day and is learning how to remember in such a way that no name is forgotten and nobody becomes a statistic. One of the spaces of living memory for those who stood in defence of Ukraine and were killed in the war for its independence has become Ukrainian cinema: through awards, the creation of productions, and documentary filmmaking, loved ones, colleagues, friends, and communities preserve the stories of the fallen, carry forward what was left unfinished, and continue their presence within the profession and in culture.
Who is shaping the memory of the war and of those it has taken today? How, through commemoration, do we reflect on the cost of freedom and resistance? Why is it important to remember together — and to weave memory into everyday life?
During the discussion, initiated on the occasion of the establishment at Docudays UA of the Award in the memory of film editor Viktor Onysko, we will speak about why memory requires not only memorials but also action; how documentary cinema works with loss, presence, and testimony; and how personal initiatives become part of a new culture of remembrance in Ukraine.
Speakers:
Olha Birzul, film curator, cultural manager, and co-founder of the Viktor Onysko Memorial Award for Best Documentary Film Editing at Docudays UA;
Ivanna Slobodianiuk, war documentary filmmaker and founder of FELIX PRODUCTION, established in honour of the fallen aerial reconnaissance warrior Felix Kurtanich;
Anastasiia Tykha, director and initiator of memorial stories about filmmakers;
Liudmyla Fylypovych, religion researcher, PhD, and founder of the Ruslan Hanushchak Documentary Foundation.
