Specifically for the 23rd Docudays UA, we have prepared a series of interviews with the creators of Ukrainian feature-length films to uncover the stories behind the documentary films featured in this year’s festival programme and help you get to know them better. Read the conversation with Andrii Lysetskyi, director of the film The Blessed Ones, which is a participant of the DOCU/WORLD competition.
Tell us how you met the main protagonists of your film and how you began documenting them, why them in particular? How did the idea for making this film come about?
Filming began in March 2022. I would like to thank Dariusz Jablonski, the Spanish Filmmakers’ Association in particular, as well as Andrii Rymaruk and Mykola Medynskyi. In the first days of the invasion, Dariusz contacted me to ask how the European film community could help their Ukrainian colleagues. At that moment, the first urgent issue was body armour. Just a week later, I picked up the first shipment at the border — I think it was around 60 armoured vests — and brought them to Kyiv. While delivering these ‘gifts’ to colleagues, I stopped by the workshop of a good friend of mine. That was how filming began.
Daniil Nemyrovskyi. A still from the film The Blessed Ones
What can the stories of the film’s protagonists tell us about the role of art during the war?
A lot. Most importantly, in a critical situation, you have to act.
How has your own understanding of the role of art in war changed since you began working on the project?
Art has far more tools for describing reality than any other medium. I believe that, in general, an artist should remain critical toward the subject they are working with.
Nikita Kadan. A still from the film The Blessed Ones
Do you think art should (!) or can (!) be a form of resistance during the war?
Any form of activity during the war, except collaboration with an external or internal enemy, is an act of resistance.
How are your protagonists’ lives unfolding now?
Anton Hurin was killed in combat on 18 April 2025. Another protagonist of the film is currently undergoing basic military training, while two others are actively working with Ukrainian and international cultural foundations to raise awareness about the situation in Ukraine worldwide.
Anton Hurin. A still from the film The Blessed Ones
How, in your opinion, can this film influence how international audiences perceive Ukrainian art and our war? What kind of impact would you like to achieve?
This film is about the powerful mutation, the transformation that Ukrainians underwent at the beginning of the 21st century. To put it simply, art is a code that describes emotional experience on a deep level. In a certain sense, this film is a key to that code.
Main photo: Mykhailo Alekseienko. A still from the film The Blessed Ones
The 23rd Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and the State Film Agency of Ukraine. The views, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the governments of these countries. The authors alone are responsible for the content of this publication.
