The Illusion of a Quiet Night

One summer night brought together 40 Ukrainian film professionals and hundreds of people. In different parts of the country – from Kyiv and regions across Ukraine to the Donbas and the occupied territories of Crimea – people documented what they were living through at that moment. Enjoying themselves at a nightclub, giving birth, travelling by train, working a night shift, seeing off soldiers, waiting out an air raid alert – life is varied and goes on, even as warning sirens wail in the distance. This range of experiences – from a techno party to fear, exhaustion, and waiting – offers a vivid portrayal of everyday life during wartime. Here, Ukraine is not an abstract war zone, but home to countless people living parallel lives – waiting, travelling, working, and simply trying to live.

Olga Chernykh is a Ukrainian film director born in Donetsk, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. Her work explores memory, identity, displacement, war, and the personal stories behind political realities. She holds Master’s degrees in Cinematography and Documentary Filmmaking. Her film A Picture to Remember was the opening film at IDFA in 2023 and won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary.