Yesterday evening LAB-1 in Eindhoven showed two documentaries under their program Voices of Hope. In the presence of a fully packed hall, Ukrainian war correspondent and documentary director Eugenia Melnik spoke about the two documentaries Avdiivka and Letters from the Front.
The program opened with the organizer Elena Oranskaia introducing Eugenia. She is a refugee, living temporarily at Opperdoes. Eugenia shared the circumstances under which they made these documentaries when the war started in Ukraine in 2014. Her film Avdiivka won her the best Ukrainian Film award, among other international awards. The audience also met the family members of the main character in the film Volodymyr Tolbatov. He is the poet who speaks in the documentary. There was also a Q & A session.
The second documentary Letters from the Front was a sensitive portrayal of children trapped in war. They speak and share their experiences and hopes.
“Despite everything that is happening, I’m hopeful that one day the war will end and we would go back to our beloved country,” said Eugenia with her staunch, unflinching hope.
Eindhoven city councilor Miriam Frosi (CDA) was also present on the occasion and she spoke briefly about what the municipality is doing to help the refugees from Ukraine.
A report by Chaitali Sengupta
