Impact Days Catalogue
fifdh
By Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk

Traces

Сліди/Slidy
IMPACT DAYS

Six women share their stories of the traumatic experience of sexual violence and torture during Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2014-23 in order to preserve the truth. Traces weaves their experience into a complex psychological multi-portrait, revealing collective trauma and documenting war crimes. It’s a journey through the dark memories with all  possible hidden traces to find a way out. Iryna, Liudmyla, Halyna, Tetiana, Olha, and Mefodiivna go through the difficult path to recovery and unity to support each other. Together they work towards a common goal: breaking the stigma and seeking justice. They are members of SEMA Ukraine, a community of Ukrainian women survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) who speak out and fight against sexual violence as a weapon of war, turning their testimonies into a reverse powerful weapon.

Section : Impact Days
Country : Ukraine
Original language : Ukrainian
Directors
Alisa Kovalenko (Ukraine / Ukraine)
Marysia Nikitiuk (Ukraine)
Producers
Olha Beskhmelnytsina (Ukraine)
Natalia Libet (Ukraine / Ukraine)
2Brave Productions
Completion
May 2025
Impact Statement
The crimes of CRSV committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine are grave human rights violations, leaving deep scars on survivors and communities. This film amplifies survivors’ voices, preserves their stories, and serves as a tool for justice. It highlights the power of women’s resilience and solidarity—Ukrainian survivors uniting to support one another. Through an impact campaign, we aim to raise awareness, fight stigma, and provide support to survivors. Russia uses sexual violence as a psychological weapon to intimidate, humiliate, and suppress the Ukrainian people in occupied territories. By advocating for justice and shining a light on these atrocities, we call for global action and solidarity, while sending a message of hope and strength to all survivors.
Impact Goals
  1. Justice and memory: document survivors’ stories, improve cooperation between the authorities and the survivors, and advocate for putting Russia on the UN ‘list of shame’ for CRSV crimes.
  2. Community support: empower local networks of survivors through SEMA Ukraine, mobilise funding, and highlight survivors’ unique needs.
  3. Fighting stigma & raising awareness: motivate survivors to testify, create a supportive environment for them by raising awareness on a local level, and make the CRSV topic highly visible globally.
Impact Strategy
  • Public and targeted screenings at the international and national level with survivors and interested stakeholders (NGOs, state officials, etc.), including the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
  • Local screenings with survivors on the de-occupied and near-frontline areas for specific groups such as civil society organizations, authorities and law enforcement officials, and facilitating dialogue within and across them.
  • Activate and enlarge SEMA Ukraine’s network of survivors to create safe spaces to share their experience, to empower them to speak out and seek help.
  • Develop a social media campaign: producing survivors' short anonymous stories about CRSV, promotional visuals for slogans #forjustice and putting Russia on the list of shame (international) and "your testimony is your weapon" (national).
Contact
Primary contact
Natalia Libet (Ukraine): natalibet@2braveproductions.com

Film funders
Polish Film Institute
IMS – International Media Support

NGOs & International Organisations
The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation
The Crisis and Support Centre of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
SEMA Ukraine
SEMA – Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence
Bosch Foundation

Advocates
Dr. Denis Mukwege
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (USA)

Film funders
Polish Film Institute
IMS – International Media Support

NGOs & International Organisations
The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation
The Crisis and Support Centre of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
SEMA Ukraine
SEMA – Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence
Bosch Foundation

Advocates
Dr. Denis Mukwege
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (USA)