Who are the people behind the festival magic? This lighthearted article is your chance to meet the tireless women in our communications team ahead of the June events. We create the materials through which you learn our news: the film program, social media posts, website articles, and newsletters. Read and watch our stories, and if you’re a cinephile — which is quite likely — start drafting spoiler-lists of this year’s festival films.
Dasha Averchenko, record-holder for most films watched, head of communications, and a member of the Selection Committee
How did your story with Docudays UA begin?
Back in 2008, I helped with the festival’s rebranding. I worked not only in communications but also helped select films and invited some of the early foreign guests who were just discovering Ukraine at the time.
When is your work most intense?
When everyone else is prepping their holiday dinners, I’m buried in film screenings for our program selection.
What inspires you in your work?
The impact and the variety: a unique team, a thematic focus, and side projects like the Ukraine War Archive and our LAB:DOCU/SYNTHESIS x Ukraine War Archive.
Describe your route to festival venues: what do you see along the way?
I head from the festival office on Mala Zhytomyrska Street through Vozdvyzhenka or Andriivskyi Descent to Zhovten Cinema — I often want to feel the city, watch the capitalʼs hipsters, listen to the modern Ukrainian language, and “hunt” with my camera.
Which films do you especially recommend watching this year?
Songs of Slow Burning Earth by Olia Zhurba from the national competition, and Propagandist from our DOCU/ART.
Nika Popova, social media sorceress
How did you become part of the Docudays UA team?
In 2019, the festival was hiring an SMM manager. I sent in the weirdest resume I’d ever made, and I think that’s partly why I’m here now.
When is your work most intense?
Spring! March gets things warming up, and by summer we’re on fire. Everything the team is preparing needs to be shared so the audience shows up and the magic happens.
How much sleep do you get during peak work periods? Or how much coffee and sweets a day? :)
During my first festival, I got about five hours of sleep a night, drank tons of coffee, and ate a crazy amount of sweets. During the lockdowns, it was also pizza — I barely moved from my desk, we had so much going on. But with experience, I learned to prioritize my health.
Which films do you recommend watching the most?
Una Sombra Oscilante from the Chilean Focus and Inside, The Valley Sings from DOCU/SHORT.
Ksenia Opria, festival website editor (a person who interviewed herself)
How did you join the Docudays UA team?
In December 2022, I was burnt out from blackouts and job hunting. I sent 10 determined emails to my favorite organizations, and the match happened. I cherish the sphere of website editing. I love to write!
Do you indulge in sweets during the festival?
The best kind of sweets are cherries, apricots, and peas — I buy them by the bag from grandmas near Kontraktova Ploshcha.
What rituals help you stay grounded during hectic festival days?
Last year, I got a tomato plant for a donation at the festival — and it grew taller than me. That’s how my plant therapy journey began.
Describe your route to the festival venues.
I love the 62 bus that connects Arsenalna with Podil — it’s a picturesque route!
Which films do you recommend watching the most?
My Dear Theo by Alisa Kovalenko from DOCU/Ukraine and the short Fatmé from Docs4Teens.
Marichka Matiashova, humorist, cat-planner queen, and press coordinator
How did you join the Docudays team?
I joined hoping to hang out with the crew and clink glasses with Ukrainian and international filmmakers at parties. Ironically, COVID hit. My first two festivals were online, and the third was canceled due to the full-scale invasion. But I still got to know everyone!
When is your work most intense and why?
Two months out, things heat up. A month before, it’s blazing — I’ll be writing an email, and ten more arrive before I can finish one.
What helps you stay sane during these times?
Petting the cat and taking power naps. A walk to clear my head helps too.
Describe your route to the festival venues.
I take a tram to Zhovten Cinema. On the way, I usually grab coffee at First Point or Buck Coffee Roasters.
Your film recommendations this year?
Kateryna Hornostai’s Timestamp and Glass, My Unfulfilled Life by Rogier Kappers from the DOCU/BEST program.
In our next website article, we will introduce the communications team behind projects such as the human rights program RIGHTS NOW!, Ukraine War Archive, LAB: DOCU/SYNTHESIS x Ukraine War Archive, and the DOCU/CLUB Network. Stay tuned for our updates and see you at the 22nd Docudays UA!
