UKRAINIAN-POLISH DOCUMENTARY "TRACES" SELECTED AS UKRAINE’S OSCAR ENTRY
The Ukrainian-Polish documentary "Traces", directed by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk and awarded at the Berlinale, has been selected as Ukraine’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Traces had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received three standing ovations and won the Panorama Audience Award for Documentary. Since then, the film has continued its international festival journey, screening at major documentary events including Movies That Matter in The Hague, where it received the Grand Jury Documentary Award, CPH in Copenhagen, Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, FIFDH Geneva, DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Canada, One World Prague, Millennium Docs Against Gravity and Hot Docs Toronto, where it ranked among the audience’s TOP 20 favourites. At Millennium Docs Against Gravity, the film also received the Smakjam Award for Best Production in the Polish Competition and a Special Mention in the Best Polish Film Competition.
Traces tells the stories of Ukrainian women who, after experiencing sexual violence and torture during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, decided to break their silence. At the centre of this community is Iryna Dovhan, chair of SEMA Ukraine, who herself survived captivity and violence at the hands of Russian soldiers and now supports other survivors in documenting crimes and seeking justice.
The film’s protagonists come from different regions of Ukraine, from Donbas to Kherson and the Kyiv region. Their stories reveal not only the scale of the violence they endured, but also the strength of solidarity and community. With great sensitivity, the filmmakers guide the audience through experiences of trauma without exploiting suffering, instead creating space for women who, after years of silence, have chosen to speak about what happened to them.
The producers of the film say:
“This is our tribute to the courage of the women who chose to speak openly about their suffering so that the world could no longer remain silent. We believe this is a voice that must be heard as widely as possible. We thank the women featured in Traces for their trust and for the strength with which they share their stories.”
The film was edited by Milenia Fiedler, the award-winning editor and Rector of the Łódź Film School. The music was composed by Wojciech Frycz, while Maciej Amilkiewicz and Mateusz Hulbój were responsible for sound. The contribution of the Polish creative team has also been recognised by critics, with Cineuropa drawing particular attention to the way sound design and music build the film’s tension and emotional force.
The release of Traces is accompanied by a social impact campaign supporting the work of SEMA Ukraine. The organisation calls for sustained international attention to conflict-related sexual violence, as well as survivor-centred justice, long-term psychosocial support and effective mechanisms for holding perpetrators accountable.
The Polish producers are Violetta Kamińska, Izabela Wójcik and Dariusz Jabłoński of Message Film, while the Ukrainian producers are Olha Bregman and Natalia Libet of 2BraveProductions. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.