Human rights and freedoms — the fundamental values on which the global order was built and which until recently seemed unshakable — today require reinforcement and protection. At the same time, they remain a key point of reference amid the storm of threats, global crises, and upheavals, helping us stay on course and avoid losing our humanity. Within the Docudays UA Human Rights Programme, we will explore the challenges that make these structures fragile, search for the pillars that support them, and seek constructive solutions to withstand future pressures.
We have prepared a guide to the RIGHTS NOW! events so that you can chart your own unique route and find your own answers.
This year, the programme map of the 23rd Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival features the important Coffee with Human Rights Defenders discussions on the challenges and consequences of war, the Human Library, which offers an opportunity to hear extraordinary life stories and see people beyond familiar assumptions and stereotypes, as well as a new section — the RIGHTS NOW! Lectorium — a space where documentary cinema and open lectures build a comprehensive conversation about how Ukrainian society is changing and rethinking itself in these difficult times.
The core of the programme will consist of RIGHTS NOW! panel discussions and special events, where we bring together different forms of expertise and experiences, explore human rights and human dignity during wartime in all their complexity and multidimensionality, and search for solutions together: from veteran reintegration, life in temporarily occupied territories, and return from occupation, to memory, transitional justice, and the resilience of democracy.
During one of the events, we will also present a new information campaign by NGO Docudays, whose theme will remain at the centre of our work throughout the coming year and will involve the Travelling Docudays UA and the DOCU/CLUB Film Club Network across the country.
What are this year’s RIGHTS NOW! discussions about?
On the first day of the programme, 6 June, we will hold a special event marking the establishment at Docudays UA of an award in memory of editor Viktor Onysko, focusing on how Ukrainian cinema is becoming a space of living memory and how personal initiatives are shaping a new culture of remembrance in Ukraine. Later that evening, we will discuss freedom of speech as one of the fundamental values and explore how to balance its protection with the demands of national security in wartime conditions.
On 7 June, together with the teams from the Centre for Civil Liberties and the Principle of Hope Charitable Foundation, we will address the ethics of documenting war, particularly the coverage of Russian captivity and violence: how to bear witness to the truth without retraumatizing the people involved or traumatizing society. We will also reflect on instability as the new “normal,” the visible and invisible threats facing the free world, and what the Ukrainian experience of living amid constant danger and uncertainty can offer the world.
On 8 June, the RIGHTS NOW! discussions will focus on the human dimension of two complex issues. Together with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, we will examine how the mechanism of voluntary mobilization of convicts works in practice and whether they stand equal in the ranks alongside other defenders. The second discussion will be dedicated to Ukrainians living under occupation. To return this topic to public discourse, we are launching the information campaign Being Present about the experience of life in temporarily occupied territories, the protection of people’s rights, and how the state and society can avoid losing connection with our fellow citizens.
On 9 June, OPORA Civic Network invites audiences to trace the key milestones of Ukraine’s independence, reflect on the social transformations of the past 35 years, and consider the role and cost of choice in our lives. On the same day, we will also discuss the changes that still need to take place in society and the state to ensure a dignified return for veterans.
On 10 June, we invite audiences to turn their attention to a dimension of war that remains largely invisible: the experiences of women whose partners are serving in the military, motherhood during wartime, and the dangers of reducing these stories to simplified narratives.
Two additional special events within the human rights programme will be organized by the team of the Ukraine War Archive, a joint project by NGO Docudays and NGO Infoscope, which is currently the most comprehensive digital repository preserving and systematizing millions of materials related to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. On 10 June, the Archive’s experts will present the new Missing People tool, designed to assist in the search for missing persons — a problem whose scale is unprecedented in contemporary Europe. On 11 June, they will discuss transitional justice and the role of digital archives in bringing Russia and war criminals to responsibility.
How to plan your route?
Explore the programme in detail, follow your feelings, and stay where something resonates with you.
The RIGHTS NOW! discussions and special events will take place daily from 6 to 11 June at the Zhovten Cinema. You can find the time and location of each event in the announcements on the website. Admission is free, although please note that some events require prior registration.
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.
