At the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, two films about the war in Ukraine, "We Will Not Fade Away" and "Photophobia," will be screened. The festival will take place from March 8 to 17 in Switzerland.
"Photophobia" will be shown in the "Creative Documentary Films" section on March 11 and 13, while Alice Kovalenko's film "We Will Not Fade Away" will be screened on March 20. Following the screening, there are plans for a discussion with the director via video conference.
In total, the festival programьу includes 41 films. The full list can be seen on the festival's website.
"We Will Not Fade Away" is a documentary film by Alice Kovalenko about teenagers from the Luhansk region. They have the opportunity to discover a world beyond war when traveler Valentin Shcherbachov decides to take them on an expedition to the Himalayan mountains. Despite the grim reality around them, Andriy, Ruslan, Ilya, Lisa, and Lera dream, seek adventures, protest, and fight against dullness and boredom.
The film is a co-production of Ukraine, France, Poland, and the USA. The film won the award for Best Directing at the One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, became the Best Film at the Luxembourg Film Festival and Crossing Europe Film Festival, and received the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
"Photophobia" is a film produced jointly by Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine about the war in Ukraine.
The film tells the story of 12-year-old Niki, who lives with his family in a metro station in Kharkiv, where they hide from the war. For Niki's family, daylight is synonymous with deadly danger, and the boy is not allowed to go outside.
The Ukrainian producer of the film is Denis Ivanov.
"Photophobia" would represent Slovakia among the contenders for the "Best International Feature Film" nomination at the Oscars. The film also received the Europa Cinemas Label Award and the award for Best Full-Length Documentary Film at the Warsaw International Film Festival.
