This May, we invited teenagers to apply for the closed workshop DOCU/CAMP. Out of 25 submissions, we chose 10 participants and 5 guest auditors. Read our article to learn how the selection process unfolded and what events will take place within the workshop.
The DOCU/CAMP programme will be curated by filmmaker Olha Zhurba, a member of the juries for the DOCU/SHORTS and DOCU/UKRAINE competitions:
“The main criterion we applied when reviewing the applications was a genuine desire and motivation to learn more about cinema and to create a collaborative film. We also aimed to involve teenagers from other cities, not only Kyiv. It was important for us that participants could meet peers with different life experiences and, therefore, diverse perspectives on the world. In particular, we wanted to support those who have recently moved to the capital and are still searching for their circle of friends.
The common thread among all applicants was the goal of making new friends. Their familiarity with cinema differed widely: some have grown up following the DOCU/YOUTH programme, while others are still discovering what documentary film means. Yet all share the desire to learn and to broaden their social connections.
I spoke briefly online with everyone who applied, and afterwards we divided them into two groups: participants and guest auditors. The sole difference is that guest auditors will not join the film production — specifically, the filming of interviews.”
The main line-up of this year’s DOCU/WORKSHOP includes:
Bozhena Dudar
Maia Homma
Vladyslav Kupchenko
Uliana Maksymenko
Zakhariia Onysko
Yevheniia Pavliuk
Nika Smirnova
Sofiia Strakhova
Mariia Faieva
Marta Shukevych
Guest auditors:
Maia Vasylchenko
Daria Kulshenko
Ustym Kunets
Yevheniia Manko
We’d like to remind you that the workshop will run from 5 to 11 June and will feature 13 sessions: lectures on the history, theory and ethics of documentary cinema, practical assignments, screenings of films from this year’s programme, as well as masterclasses led by directors and cinematographers. Participation is free of charge, and all participants will also receive tickets to films from the 23rd Docudays UA programme.
The central theme of this year’s DOCU/WORKSHOP is The interview as a way to learn to listen and to foster empathy.
The workshop programme will help participants understand the value of the interview in cinema and the role of ethics when working with protagonists. They will also discover how the interview can serve as an artistic tool and how it contributes to preparing for a future film shoot. During the course, some will try themselves for the first time as professionals conducting interviews, while others will become documentary protagonists answering questions. The recorded materials will be brought together into a single film created within the workshop and later shared on Docudays UA’s social media after the festival.
Among the invited lecturers are Olga Birzul — film curator and author of the first Ukrainian industry book for teenagers Your Book About Cinema; Polish director Agnieszka Kalińska, whose film All the Colours of Youth features in this year’s DOCU/YOUTH programme; cinematographer Olha Oborina; and one of the directors of Homecoming, Yarema Malashchuk.
The DOCU/WORKSHOP sessions will be held at the Vali Kotyk Library, located close to the Zhovten Cinema. For full details of the programme and timetable, we invite you to reach out to the project’s curator, Olha Zhurba.
Main photo: Anna Soli
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.
