Beware of censorship: in Chernihiv, the Docudays UA traveling festival began with the refusal of Chernihivkino to show the film “Putin’s Games”, which is banned in Russia

On November 25, 2014, a press conference was held to officially open the film screenings of the Eleventh Traveling Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights Docudays UA in Chernihiv Oblast. The surprise of this year’s Traveling Festival was the refusal of the State Enterprise “Chernihivkino” (Schors Cinema) to screen the film “Putin’s Games”, which is banned in Russia.

The refusal was motivated by the screenings of other films, regardless of the fact that there was a prior agreement to shoot the planned film, which was supposed to be shown at this time. The real reason for the refusal has not yet been officially provided, but from unconfirmed sources it became known that the decision to cancel the screening appeared after communication between the director of Chernihivkino Oleksandr Melnyk and his management (they are subordinate to the Chernihiv Regional Council). The refusal to screen was given despite a letter from the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema to Chernihivkino, which talks about supporting the Traveling Festival as a whole and all its films. At the moment, we are waiting for an official response from Chernihivkino.

The schedule of film screenings is at the end of the article.

Vysotsky Gennady, project coordinator, representative of the NGO “MART”

At the end of the last century, a new format appeared on the world film festival market – film festivals about human rights. The films shown at the festival reflect the actual state of human rights observance, their violations or visions and intentions to find ways to restore such rights. The films have the form of a documentary film.

In Ukraine, the International Festival “Human Rights Documentary Film Days” () was first organized jointly with UN institutions in 2003.

Docudays UA

is the only international festival of documentary films about human rights in Ukraine. It is held every year during the last week of March in Kyiv. In 2014, the festival in Kyiv was visited by 38,200 viewers.

Upon completion,

Docudays UA

traditionally presents the best films in the regions of Ukraine during

The Traveling Festival

. Screenings last from October to December (inclusive). In 2013, the Traveling Docudays UA visited 231 cities and towns in 23 regions of Ukraine, Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and Kyiv.

Admission to all screenings is free.

The uniqueness of the festival is that the films shown within the festival have no other chance to meet the audience in Ukraine, except within this festival. Each film has permission to be viewed only within the festival; it cannot be sold, copied or shown outside the festival.

Festival organizers:

Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Kherson Regional Charity and Health Fund, NGO “South”, NGO “Center for Modern Information Technologies and Visual Arts”.

Partners:

State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema, International Network of Film Festivals for Human Rights, Movie that Matter festival.

In Chernihiv, since 2006, the official partner of the Traveling Festival has been the NGO “MART”, and since 2013, the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights has joined as an official partner.

Nadiya Kryvopalenko, project assistant, representative of the NGO “MART”

For eleven years now, the festival has been traveling through the regions of Ukraine. Just like the current festival in Kyiv, the traveling film screenings are united by the main theme “Ideorruption”. “Ideorruption” is corruption in Ukraine, which has acquired signs of ideology and over the years has firmly established itself in the Ukrainian mentality. We will talk about corruption as a total violation of human rights – the right to access information, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of speech and many other freedoms.

The film-calling card of the current theme of the festival in Chernihiv was the film by Alexander Gelenteev “Putin’s Games”.

In Chernihiv region, film screenings will traditionally be held in schools and lyceums, in technical schools and universities, in correctional colonies, a detention center and in the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as in some cafes of the city. The films of the traveling festival will be seen not only in Chernihiv, but also in Nizhyn, Pryluky, Ripky, Meny, Kulykivka and in the villages of Chernihiv district.

We are also happy today that this year we have with us not only old partners: the Public Organization “City Youth Center “Zhmenya”, teachers of the Chernihiv Regional Pedagogical Lyceum for Gifted Rural Youth, the Charitable Organization “Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Center”, but also new ones: the Chernihiv Regional Art Museum named after Hryhoriy Galahan and Mlyntsev “Blin-Chiki”.

Viktor Tarasov, Head of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights

Against the backdrop of the turbulent and dramatic events that Ukrainian society has experienced over the past year, the role of such an event is of particular importance.

The topics of the films proposed for screening this year concern various spheres of social relations and various human rights, but primarily focus on the fate and problems of specific people.

It is also worth noting that the goal of the Festival is not only to demonstrate leading documentaries on human rights, but also to conduct legal education and human rights work. This will have a direct practical result from the Festival, primarily for young people, students and pupils who will be able to join volunteer activities.

That is why, according to the organizers, the Festival should become an important element in educating legal awareness, civic responsibility and respect for human rights among our citizens.

Alla Lepekha, Regional Public Relations Coordinator of the VRU Commissioner for Human Rights in Chernihiv Region, Director of the Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Center Charity

The main goal of the Festival is to promote the screening of documentaries about human rights in Ukraine, to activate ordinary citizens to take active actions to build a democratic society in Ukraine. Screening of films about human rights helps to draw public attention to the problems of ordinary people.

Regina Husak, Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Zhmenya”

Documentary cinema is a cinema about real people, real destinies, real events, which teaches schoolchildren and university students to find real ways and mechanisms for protecting their rights, and most importantly, teaches them to see and notice human rights violations that we even get used to. Documentary films form an active life position and the ability to boldly say “I have the right!!!”. It is also important that the discussion is conducted by volunteers-peers, with whom the audience communicates openly.

Films will be shown in educational institutions, the themes of which correspond to the age characteristics of young people and teach tolerance and peaceful dialogue.