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The journey of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Docudays UA will begin on 13 October in Zalishchyky, and over the following weeks, it will pass through Husiatyn, Chortkiv, Zavodske, Ternopil, Kremenets, Vyshnivets, Berezhany, Hrymailiv, and other towns of the Ternopil region. We shall present 10 cinematic stories—both in person and online—selected from the programme of the 22nd Docudays UA festival in Kyiv, and discuss our ‘rare resources’, the power of collective action in the fight for a world of freedom and democracy, and human rights, empathy, and humanity as its very foundation.
Theme
The central theme of the 22nd Docudays UA is ‘Rare Resource’. Associatively, this title appeals to the agreements between Ukraine and the US regarding the joint development of Ukrainian subsoil, concluded this spring: the Agreement between the governments of the US and Ukraine on the establishment of an American-Ukrainian reconstruction investment fund, as well as two secret agreements: one on a ‘limited partnership’ and another on the creation of a ‘General Partner’. The contents of these agreements remain classified, making substantive discussion impossible.
However, we must realise even now that the risks in the sphere of subsoil use exist on several dimensions: there are the classified texts of intergovernmental agreements, which directly contradict the Constitution and laws of Ukraine and provoke justified fears regarding conditions that may threaten Ukraine’s interests. There is also the potential neglect of environmental security issues—given that extractive activities are among those with a significant negative impact on the environment. Extractive industries worldwide often result in substantial social and environmental distress: pollution, diseases caused by such pollution, forced displacement of people from deposit sites, the destruction of natural landscapes, and economic decline affecting both traditional farming and high technologies.
But the ‘Rare Resource’ theme itself can prompt a discussion—what in Ukraine can truly be considered a valuable and rare resource, something worth preserving and multiplying? For we are in the fourth year of a war of attrition, in which the chance of victory lies with the country that possesses greater resources.
Thus, in our travels and meetings with audiences, we shall speak of our rare resources, the power of collective action in the struggle for a world of freedom and democracy, and the respect for human dignity, human rights, empathy, and humanity as the pillars of this free world.
Film Programme
For the Traveling festival, we have selected 10 documentary films from 11 countries from the 22nd Docudays UA programme.
These films focus on our agency and the struggle for freedom, justice, and the preservation of human dignity even in the most difficult circumstances. they reflect on themes of history and memory, and explore how a person’s choice affects their life and how one individual can influence the lives of others. These stories resonate with the experiences and challenges we are facing, prompting deep reflection and debate.
In the short film days format, we shall present the Ukrainian film ‘How Was My Summer Vacation?’ by Antonio Lukich—a tender, yet at times painful film in which schoolchildren share their memories of summer and their dreams for a peaceful future on the 1st of September.
A still from the film ‘How Was My Summer Vacation?’
The selection also includes foreign films that align with our context. ‘The Last Song from Kabul’, directed by Kevin Macdonald and Ruhi Hamid, tells the story of students at a music school in Afghanistan who do not abandon their love of music despite an unbearable situation in a country where the authorities deny girls the right to education.
A still from the film ‘The Last Song from Kabul’
The third film in this selection is Nathan Fagan’s animated work ‘Singing in the Heart of the Valley’—the stories of three convicts in the US serving their sentences in solitary confinement.
A still from the film ‘Singing in the Heart of the Valley’
Pupils of the Zalishchyky State Gymnasium—the top school in the Ternopil region based on national examination results—will be among the first to see the short film programme. It will also be shown to students of the Husiatyn Technical College of Ternopil National Technical University and the Chortkiv Higher Vocational School. Don’t miss it!
A special event of the festival, presented in these educational institutions, will be an original presentation marking the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, titled ‘50 Years of the Helsinki Final Act: History, Today, and Prospects’.
Four films from this year’s Traveling Docudays UA programme will be available for online viewing. One of these is ‘Paperland’ by French director Marion Boé. The film follows lawyer Mélanie Le Verger, who for twenty years has provided legal support to minor foreign migrants, and reminds us that Man—along with his dignity and rights—must always remain at the centre of a democratic society. Man should not be a resource to achieve other political or military goals, but rather the supreme value of society.
This film will be available for viewing and online discussion by legal aid workers across the Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions, who are subordinated to the Western Interregional Centre for Free Secondary Legal Aid.
A still from the film ‘Paperland’
Several festival events will be open to the general public in public libraries. Naturally, Docudays UA will once again visit our long-term partners: in Chortkiv, this is the ‘Library on Zelena’, where a Docudays UA film club has been active for 11 years. in the regional capital, it is the Ternopil Regional Universal Research Library.
At the ‘Art-Garage’ of the ‘Library on Zelena’, on 18 October, we shall show the moving autobiographical film ‘Glass: My Unfulfilled Life’ by director Rogier Kappers from the Netherlands. The film was awarded the ‘Golden Alexander’ at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
A still from the film ‘Glass: My Unfulfilled Life’
Among other films that have won awards at major international festivals, the Traveling Docudays UA programme includes a work that offers space for reflection on the nature of commemoration—‘Fiume or Death!’ by Croatian director Igor Bezinović. The film received a ‘Tiger’ award and the FIPRESCI prize at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2025.
This brilliant cinematic experiment explores and reflects upon the history of the city the Italians called Fiume and the Croatians call Rijeka. The author interprets this history through the memory of the city’s inhabitants, blending archival photos, theatrical reconstructions, expert commentary, and carnival-esque absurdity.
After watching this film, one realises that the history of Fiume-Rijeka is very similar to the histories of other border cities: Lemberg – Lviv, Stanislaviv – Ivano-Frankivsk, Tarnopol – Ternopil… Residents and guests of our regional centre will have the opportunity to see it at the main library of the region.
This film, like the previous one, will be shown online as well. The in-person screening will take place at the Ternopil Regional Universal Research Library on 21 October.
A still from the film ‘Fiume or Death!’
In the reading room of the region's main library, we shall present another Dutch, but profoundly resonant, thoughtful documentary—‘My Golden Child’ by the young director Maarten de Schutter. His mother, Martina de Schutter, was tragically killed in July 2014 aboard the Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17, shot down by Russian war criminals. Now, Maarten attempts to preserve her memory and move on.
A still from the film ‘My Golden Child’
On the day of this film’s screening, another special festival event will take place: a legal commentary on the landmark ruling of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights on the interstate application of Ukraine and the Netherlands against the RF from 9 July 2025, in the form of an original presentation: ‘Fiat Iustitia! – Let Justice be Done!’.
The 2025 Traveling Docudays UA programme will traditionally include a visit to the Volodymyr Hnatiuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University on 20 October. Here, we shall offer students and faculty a screening and discussion with experts of the film ‘My Sextortion Diary’. Spanish director Patricia Franquesa filmed this ‘diary’ from the day her laptop—containing intimate photos—was stolen, to the moment when she herself managed to stop the online harassment, blackmail, and extortion without waiting for a successful police investigation. the film demonstrates the importance of daring to take charge of a situation and one's own destiny. Ultimately, democracy is rooted in people’s capacity to take responsibility for their own fate and that of their country.
‘My Sextortion Diary’ was honoured with the Gaudí Award for Best Documentary—Catalonia's top cinema prize, awarded annually in Barcelona.
Following the screening, we shall discuss how to prevent sexual blackmail and online violence from the perspectives of an educator, a lawyer, and a psychologist.
This festival event is part of the all-Ukrainian information campaign ‘Sexual Violence Online: How to Protect Children’.
A still from the film ‘My Sextortion Diary’
The Human Rights Dimension of the Festival
This year’s Traveling Docudays UA is special in that it features an ambassador—a person who embodies the defence of human rights and democratic values. This is Maksym Butkevych, the prominent journalist, human rights activist, and veteran; co-founder of ‘Hromadske Radio’ and the ZMINA Human Rights Centre; a board member of the Ukrainian branch of Amnesty International; and co-founder of the ‘Without Borders’ organisation, which focused on the protection of refugees. He has also been a long-time festival moderator and a member of the jury for Docudays UA — 2025. in the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Maksym voluntarily joined the AFU, but in the summer of 2022, he was captured by the Russians, where he spent two years and four months. Every year during Docudays UA, we organised public actions demanding his release. At long last, we were delighted to hear that Maksym has returned home.
Maksym Butkevych, journalist, human rights activist, and war veteran
Recently, we received further good news—Maksym Butkevych became the first Ukrainian citizen to be awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The prize is awarded annually for outstanding merit in human rights work by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in collaboration with the Václav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation. Previously, laureates have included human rights defenders such as Ales Bialiatski, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Oyub Titiev, Maria Kalesnikava, and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Today, Maksym Butkevych is one of the most powerful voices for Ukrainian prisoners of war and those who have been released but still require support. Together with the human rights organisation ‘Principle of Hope’, which Maksym coordinates, Traveling Docudays UA is launching a charitable fundraiser for the rehabilitation of Ukrainians—both military and civilian—released from Russian captivity.
Please, if you are able, support this collection with a donation. Any contribution—be it 5, 10, or 50 hryvnias—is precious. You can do so by following the QR code seen on this image.
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The ‘Docudays’ NGO team has dedicated the 22nd Traveling Docudays UA to the cherished memory of our colleague Tetyana Kulyk, who passed away suddenly on 29 July 2025.
Tetyana was a person who poured her vast heart into the annual Traveling festival and the daily work of the DOCU/CLUB network of film clubs, helping others feel their own power to do important things and change the world for the better.
‘She loved her work and people immensely; she was attentive, compassionate, and generous, ready at any time to help anyone in need, and she loved to teach, support, and inspire. The life of Docudays was her life. Tanya was a highly talented manager and put maternal care into every participant during all our events,’ said Svitlana Smal, executive director of the ‘Docudays’ NGO.
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You can follow the news of the Traveling Docudays UA in Ukraine on the official website - https://travelling.docudays.ua/
Look for announcements of festival events in the Ternopil region on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/DocudaysTernopil2015
You can download our itinerary at this link.
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Organisers of Traveling Docudays UA in Ukraine: Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Docudays NGO, Charity Organisation ‘Compassion and Health Fund’, and ‘Centre for Modern Information Technologies and Visual Arts’ NGO.
Regional partners of Docudays UA in the Ternopil region: ‘Helsinki Initiative-XXI’, ‘Green World’, and ‘Men's Adaptation Centre’ NGO.
Media partners: ‘Zolota Pektoral’ journal and ‘TV4’ TV channel.
The 22nd Traveling Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and International Media Support.
The views, findings, or recommendations expressed in this text do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, or the governments and charitable organisations of these countries. responsibility for the content of the publication rests solely with its authors.