When the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure started, we said: We’ve got to help. And what people need are generators.
Torsten Just
Premiere in Berlin
This documentary about the winter aid project of Ukraine-Hilfe Berlin premiered on March 30th in the Pilecki Institute near Brandenburg Gate. More than 100 people joined the screening. Special guest of the evening was Oleksii Makeiev, the ambassadors of Ukraine to Germany. He thanked the charity for its tireless efforts to support the people of Ukraine with relief supplies.
The aid organisation had teamed up with young Ukrainian cinematographers for its production. Afterwards the film crew took the time to answer questions from the audience.
About the Film
Winter 2022/2023. The Russian terror attacks plunged Ukraine into a partial darkness. Light is a basic human right, light is life. So what people needed the most were power generators to bring it back.
Ukraine-Hilfe Berlin wasted no time to help, spending massively on generators. In January 2023, a total of 250 generators left Berlin for Ukraine. The documentary followed the track of some of them. The film team travelled 2,800 km across Ukraine, including to towns under constant Russian bombardment.
The documentary captures the stories of Ukrainians coping with the Russian war of aggression. It provides a glimpse into how the generators help save lives at hospitals. It tells the stories of Ukrainian refugee homes where a sense of safety is brought back to the children of war. And it shows how the distinct puttering of the generators would become a defining feature of life.
Team
Alexander Khomenko, Director
The Kyiv-born cinematographer staged and performed theatrical plays about Russian classical writers until Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24th of February. He survived 47 days of occupation then returned to Kyiv and changed his career dramatically. Director of seven music videos, two short documentaries. He won an award for his latest film Paper Knight at the LIFT – short Film Festival.
Mykola Shmundyr, Director of Photography
The Donetsk-born cinematographer lost his home in Russia’s first attack on Ukraine in 2014. Having to rebuild his life from scratch, he moved to Kyiv. He co-founded the МУР cultural project to promote and modernise the Ukrainian cultural heritage. His work includes multiple music videos, including on how young people cope with the terrors of war. His latest political short film Forever Gorgeous was short-listed at the Leipzig KURZSUECHTIG Festival.
Torsten Just, Volunteer
The Berlin-born entrepreneur had travelled to Ukraine before the war, impressed by the dynamic country at the gates of Europe. When Russia attacked Ukraine, he paused his professional career to help lead volunteering projects. As part of Ukraine-Hilfe Berlin’s winter aid project, he went to Ukraine to help organise the donations and make this documentary.
More about our winter aid
Instagram: @sound_of_light_movie
Large generator for the Lwiw hospital (in German)