From: Kyiv Independent — The Kyiv Independent’s upcoming documentary about Ukrainian military medics who save lives on the front line of Russia’s full-scale war will be screened in 10 European capitals.
“Can You Hear Me? The Invisible Battles of Ukrainian Military Medics” will premiere in Kyiv on Dec. 12, followed by screenings in Warsaw, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius.
All screenings will be followed by discussions with the film’s authors, journalists Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko. They are organized in partnership with the Repower charitable organization that provides mental health retreats for Ukrainian medics.
The film’s authors followed a group of military medics as they journeyed from the heat of battle in war-torn Ukraine to the serene forests of Sweden for a short mental health retreat.
Witnessing an endless conveyor belt of severe injuries and deaths since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasionin 2022 has taken a heavy toll on the medics’ mental health. Although crucial to address, the issue of their psychological well-being is rarely talked about and often overlooked, leaving them alone in this invisible battle.
As they find themselves in a peaceful, quiet environment in Sweden for the first time since 2022, the medics have a chance to process the accumulated trauma, opening up about losing brothers-in-arms, surviving Russian captivity, and the inescapable feeling of guilt for not being able to save some of the soldiers they treated.
“Observing this war from afar in its third, it can be easy to get desensitized to the everyday horrors experienced by those out there defending all of Europe from tyranny. Our film isn’t pleasant to watch, we want to present the human cost of our freedom head on. But first and foremost, this is about people. Ordinary Ukrainians whose inner battles embody the struggle of the country as a whole: as hard as things get, there is no alternative to continuing, but to do so, we need help,” says Francis Farrell.
“Making a film where one of the themes is the mental state of soldiers is a challenge. In this case, so much depends on the people you are filming, and that makes it even more difficult. My immense gratitude goes to our heroes for letting us into their lives and sharing such intimate things. Without their authenticity, this film wouldn’t have been possible,” says Olena Zashko.
Voice of Ukraine 