Karlovy, the Ukrainian documentary Sunday (July 6th) will perform world premiere Divia This marks the end of the long journey of Director Dmytro Hreshko and the crew. To raise funds, they traveled to numerous pitching sessions and ongoing workshops across Europe, including Jhi.lava, Dok Leipzig, Sarajevo and Trieste, dealing with the everyday realities of the Russian-Ukraine war. It was a labor of love in a very difficult time.
Divianamed after the ancient Slavic goddess of nature and all living things, highlighting the ecological effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Score by musician Sam Slater – Chernobyl and Joker – The film shunned dialogue, focusing on the destroyed fields, and the forest turned to ashes, silenced and rusted discarded military hardware. But amidst the devastation, nature tries to find a way to recover.
Hreshko’s credits include 2021 Meanwhile, mountains and heaven It was screened at Docfest, Fipadoc, Dok Leipzig, Krakow Film Festival in Sheffield and others. The film is produced by Kyiv, based in UA Studios and Polish costume Gogol films. The film is co-produced by Valk Productions in Amsterdam.
Why did you focus on the ecological effects of Ukraine’s full-scale invasion?
War destroys nature, but nature is about to recover. For me, it was really important to make political statements. The film is not only about nature and ecology, but also about politics, and focuses on the situation in Ukraine.
On another level, we were trying to make it universal. Citizens of all countries can feel pain in the loss of nature. You may have some really nice and natural places to visit with your family – how do you feel if it’s destroyed at any time?
Given the situation in Ukraine, how difficult was it to put together the film?
That’s thanks to the efforts of the producers and people who helped our projects take part in industry workshops. Each workshop helped me clarify my ideas. This is the first project I’ve done to many workshops, pitches and markets. And I can say it works. With mentor and consultant resources, you can really improve your project.
But it was really challenging. The government has allowed me to go abroad, but sometimes it wasn’t, so it was just producers presenting their projects at workshops. And – like many Ukrainian projects, we were about to submit to phones overseas that existed, so we had submitted many applications and waited.
But we were pretty fortunate. Every time we run out of money, we will get some small support funds – and we have had great cooperation with Polish and the Netherlands (producers).
We also have the same problems as any artist in Ukrainian. There is always bombing. When I was about to edit, the electricity suddenly turned off. It was a real problem so we continued working with some big power banks. Also, some members of our team were mobilized to the Army, like the sound designers who joined the Army at the end of 2024. I was in the Army for six months already.
That’s why our industry is struggling with all of this. I don’t know how the Ukrainian film industry lives, but that’s true.
Can we expand a little more on the practical logistics of shooting in war zones?
It was my first time entering the war zone. I had never been to the east before a full-scale invasion. For me, it was psychologically difficult to get started. I asked many of my friends in the war zone what to do. He also received special training for journalists like tactical medicine. And I bought a helmet and a shield.
I connected with layers of mines cleaned, and ecologists cleaned the territory. I also connected with locals, people who care about the Ministry of Ecology. Step by Step I have found more and more places and subjects on film.
What I filmed was often unexpected. I might just go to the area and see an incredible scene of a bird walking through a burning field. And I began to think: “I plan it, but I never get it, so I never plan.”
It’s like hunting for me. But it’s hunting where you can get injured – you’ll be killed by bombing, or there are mines everywhere. You can’t stop on any roadside or walk through the fields and see anything interesting. It is completely impossible to walk safely.
What about your future?
For now, I think my top priority is still alive. The fact that we made this film is a miracle. Because we have a full-scale invasion by Russia that wants to kill all Ukrainians.
For now, I’m in the military. I am part of a cultural force. This includes several media projects, including music, art, and film, to support Ukrainian soldiers and integrate culture into the military. I am truly pleased to use my skills to support the military.
I certainly have some documentary ideas and I am waiting for an opportunity to make them come true. But the main plan is to survive.
(tagstotranslate) Documentary
