The DOCU/CLUB Network participated in the Festival of Thoughts, which took place in Kyiv on September 21.
The story of the Festival of Thoughts started in 2017 in Siverskodonetsk. After the full-scale invasion, the initiators of the festival, the Vostok SOS Charitable Foundation, relocated the festival venue to Kyiv.
This festival is an annual intellectual meeting platform for discussing important topics. The organizers conceived it as a place where everyone can join discussions about Ukraine’s most pressing issues and challenges and receive quality feedback. Over the years, the festival has discussed a wide variety of topics: war, education, reforms, urban space organization, implementation of legislative initiatives, photography, cinema, sports, art, and ecology. The event traditionally brings together opinion leaders, representatives of the government, the public sector and the international community, as well as all active citizens who want to discuss the life and future of their country. This year, the festival was held for the 8th time. About 600 people joined it on the premises of the St. Sophia of Kyiv Conservation Area. All the discussions were united by the topic “10 Years of War: Experience that Changes the Nation” and took place at three open-air locations. The participants discussed the challenges of the war with experts, talking about the problems of veterans, memorialization, the Ukrainian east, and disinformation. They have also discussed the life of children under occupation and people's decisions to return to the temporarily occupied territories or to the war zones. An important part of the festival was the opportunity to join educational games and photo exhibitions that complemented the discussion of socially important topics. The DOCU/CLUB Network invited the audience to watch and discuss the documentary The Hamlet Syndrome by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski. The discussion took place with the participation of the film's protagonists: Kateryna Kotlyarova, combatant and reserve sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Kryvdyk, active serviceman, and Oleh-Rodion Shurygin-Grekalov, costume designer and founder of a showroom for vintage and Ukrainian brands. The conversation was moderated by Kseniya Shymanska, Director of the Human Rights Department at NGO Docudays. The hall of the Refectory Church of the St. Sophia of Kyiv Reserve, where the screening took place, remained full until the end of the discussion, although the time period allotted for the event had long ended. The Hamlet Syndrome, created several months before the full-scale invasion, made the audience empathize with the characters, cry with them, and be emotional. It was the first time the film's protagonists saw the film and, consequently, themselves on the big screen. The film production brought these very different people together, made them friends, and united them in a circle of support and mutual assistance. The audience asked them about their lives after the invasion, their participation in the resistance, advice on finding sources of strength and joining the army.
Discussion of the film The Hamlet Syndrome
Roman Kryvdyk When asked what society should do to help the military, Roman Kryvdyk said, “There is no simple answer to complex questions. For me, there are several key points. The most important one is that we need to learn, because our current circumstances require a lot of strength and knowledge to adapt and respond. The Constitution says that, in case of war, every citizen is obliged to defend the country. We have to learn this, both men and women. Nowadays, technology allows us not to do it in a completely medieval way. You don't need to be physically strong, but you need to have courage. We need to learn, even though it is difficult. There is no time, and trained people are needed ‘for yesterday.’ And it will not get easier, because new challenges arise every day.”
Kateryna Kotlyarova Kateryna Kotlyarova added, “If it were an easy question, there would not have been such a big event today, where many human rights activists, volunteers, military, and veterans discussed what to do next. The very question of what society should do for the military is already a trap, because the army is society. The army is a part of society. The only caveat is this part of society cannot always speak out loud, because there are statutory relations. But we cannot separate the army and society. And we should not blame ourselves for not being active enough. It seems to me that those who do a lot for Ukraine always think that they are not doing enough. I was on the battlefield, and the guys said they were not doing enough. Volunteers who sleep for two hours a day and are constantly on the phone also say they are not doing enough. Maybe it is not because you are not working hard enough? Maybe there is another reason?” The participants spoke about everyone’s personal responsibility to answer the question “What have I done or will do to change life in the country for the better?”
Oleh-Rodion Shurygin-Grekalov Oleh-Rodion Shurygin-Grekalov put an optimistic end to the discussion: “We have a chance to survive because we are evolving. I just watched this film that we shot in 2021, and I see that a lot of useful conclusions have already been drawn. We have become better and stronger, we are gaining new important experiences, and this is our advantage. What other country, which is fighting hard, which is partially occupied, has done something like this – surviving against all odds? Perhaps this is the trait that helps us exist as a nation. It seems to me that, despite everything, we are experiencing a period of our Renaissance in this war.” After the discussion, moderator Kseniya Shymanska shared her impressions: “I was honored to moderate a conversation with the best of us. The serious, restrained, tired and bright military man Roman, who, together with his wife, continues to save the lives of his brothers and sisters on the front line, even though he was not born and ready for war. The cheerful, sincere, frank and dedicated Rodion, who is passionate about what he does and admires others. Although his life was not easy and carefree, he still believes in people. And the courageous, gentle, faithful and kind Kateryna, who volunteered and then defended us in the uniform, being a source of inspiration due to her sincere and unrestrained civic, patriotic and human commitment to what she believes in – the victory of Ukraine. The conversation was not easy, as we were talking about broken human lives. But the sincerity and frankness of the heroes and the heroine, their willingness to give difficult answers to difficult questions turned the discussion into a conversation with friends, after which the audience did not want to leave.” Indeed, inspired by the conversation, the audience was in no hurry to say goodbye. The conversation with the film's protagonists continued on the street. The DOCU/CLUB Network team is grateful to the organizers for the invitation. We hope that our partnership with the Festival of Thoughts will continue in the future. All photos provided by Vostok SOS The development of the DOCU/CLUB Network is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Fondation de France. The opinions, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and compilers of this publication and do not necessarily reflect the views of the governments or charitable organizations of these countries. The authors and compilers are solely responsible for the content of this publication.
