Film about the Danube Nature Reserve was selected for an international film festival in Sweden

A documentary story about the power of wildlife, ecosystem restoration, and human healing during war has reached the international level. The film was included in the official selection of the Luleå International Film Festival 2026 in Sweden.

This was reported by the press service of Rewilding Ukraine.

The documentary film "The Danube Delta and the Healing Power of Nature" directed by Emanuel Rondeau, created in cooperation with Rewilding Ukraine, was officially selected for the Luleå International Film Festival 2026. The second cinematographer of the film is Intent photographer Natalia Dovbysh.

According to the organizers, the film tells the story of nature restoration in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta and the people who find support, hope, and inner recovery through contact with wildlife.

The film is the sixth installment of the Wilder Europe documentary series created by award-winning French videographer Emmanuel Rondeau with the support of Hogan Lovells. The series is dedicated to the stories of rewilding - the return of natural processes and the restoration of wild landscapes in different parts of Europe.

In May 2025, the filmmaker spent ten days in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta together with the Rewilding Ukraine team and local partners. The expedition covered areas from the Ermakov Island in the Danube Biosphere Reserve to the Tarutino Steppe.

It is here that conservation initiatives have been implemented for a long time to restore ecosystems to their ability to regenerate themselves. These measures include the dismantling of dams and weirs to restore natural water exchange, as well as the return of large herbivores, including water buffalo and semi-wild horses. These animals help maintain open natural landscapes and contribute to the growth of biodiversity.

One of the main themes of the film is not only the revival of nature, but also its impact on the psychological and emotional recovery of people. The film pays special attention to Ukrainian war veterans, for whom the natural spaces of the Danube Delta have become a place of respite, rethinking, and recovery.

According to the authors of the project, in recent years, the Danube Delta has been transforming into a space where people can re-experience a deep connection with nature. It is with this goal in mind that the Nature for Veterans program was launched, demonstrating how being in restored natural landscapes can support emotional healing in times of war, uncertainty, and collective trauma.

The main event of the Luleå International Film Festival 2026 will take place on September 26, 2026 in Sweden at the LILLAN cultural venue. The festival specializes in supporting independent cinema from around the world.

The story of Odesa scientist Waldemar Havkin, who saved millions of people from cholera and plague, will also be the basis for the international film Foreign Bodies. A Ukrainian producer and a British-Indian director will work on the film.

Анна Бальчінос