15th, 16th, 17th June, Various Times, Sheffield DocFest

Directed by Polish filmmaker Maciej Hamela, the Polish/French/Ukrainian coproduction is Hamela’s directorial debut and has already impressed critics, winning the The Best Polish Film Award at Poland’s biggest documentary film festival Millennium Docs Against Gravity and was also selected for the Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere.

The film tells the stories of evacuees from Ukraine, and was made during numerous evacuation actions led by the director in Ukraine.

In the first days of the Russian invasion, Hamela bought a van with his own funds and became involved as a volunteer in the transport of refugees from the border.

Somewhere along the way, both literally and figuratively, the idea of documenting this process was born, which would allow for easier aid activities with press accreditation.

There was no production plan or script. In practice, the recording of the material was 100% dependent on where he had to go to pick up someone or where to rescue people from.

The result is a group portrait of people who needed immediate help. They talk about what they left behind, what they experienced, and their plans and prospects for the future.

The film includes stories of a cow who cried for her owners when they left, the transport adventures of a cat, a surrogate mother on her way to Paris, a van turned into a temporary ambulance, and many other natural and heartfelt confessions shared with the driver.

Book tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9yntux