A film about the lives of women from the Kherson region won an award in Norway

The Ukrainian documentary "Traces," which tells the stories of women during the Russian aggression, won the top prize in the "Checkpoints" program at the 27th Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF) in Norway. The festival jury recognized the film for its focus on human rights.

This is reported on the BIFF website.

The film crew decided to donate the prize money to help Ukrainian women who have suffered from war crimes. The filmmakers will donate the prize money of 25,000 Norwegian kroner to SEMA Ukraine, with whom they worked closely to create the project. 

The film tells the sensitive and painful stories of six Ukrainian women who endured sexual violence and torture amid Russian aggression, particularly during the events in the Kherson region. One of the project’s main protagonists is Iryna Dovhan, a former captive and current human rights activist. She is the one who records the victims’ testimonies. 

The Checkpoints competition, organized by the festival in collaboration with the Rafto Human Rights Foundation, honors documentary works that highlight the struggle for dignity and justice.

The film “Traces” has already garnered recognition on the international and national stages. Earlier, the Ukrainian Oscar Committee selected this film as Ukraine’s official national entry for the 99th Academy Awards in the “Best International Feature Film” category.

Юлія Калабайда