POLISH PROJECT SELECTED FOR IMPACT DAYS 2026 IN GENEVA
The feature-length documentary project “Women and War”, directed by Elwira Niewiera, has been selected for the Impact Days 2026 programme at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) in Geneva. This event is one of the world’s leading platforms connecting documentary cinema with human rights advocacy.
In this year’s edition, the organisers received nearly 200 submissions from 70 countries across all continents. Only 12 projects were chosen for the programme – among them the film by the Polish director.
Impact Days is FIFDH’s professional platform dedicated to filmmakers and NGOs. Since 2019, it has supported creators in developing comprehensive social impact strategies and has facilitated connections with institutions, policymakers, and funding bodies operating at the intersection of film and human rights. Participation in the programme entails several months of work on a targeted impact campaign as well as the presentation of selected projects to an international professional audience.
“Women and War” is a documentary that explores the psychological costs of war through the personal experiences of three women – Julia, Irina, and Olena – who survived the brutality of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Over a period of two years, the camera follows them through therapy sessions in the remote, mountainous regions of the Ukrainian Carpathians, where, under the care of therapists and psychologists, they gradually begin to heal. These sessions form the emotional core of the film, revealing intimate moments in which the protagonists confront their trauma and slowly regain stability. “Women and War” is a universal story of resilience and courage in the face of wartime devastation, told entirely from a female perspective.
The film is produced by Maciej Kubicki, Hans Robert Eisenhauer, and Natalie Krasilnikova, and is being developed in collaboration with Telemark, Ventana-Film, and Art Dialogue NGO.
The full list of selected projects can be found here.