«There will be water tomorrow»: a journalist from Mykolaiv presented a film about the flooded Afanasiivka

Mykolaiv-based journalist Lesia Bakalets presented the documentary film «There will be water tomorrow» as part of the «Documentary Film Laboratory» project.

This was reported by the project organizers — the Center for the Development of Independent Media Media Development Foundation.

The film, created in cooperation with NikVesti, draws attention to the village of Afanasiivka in the Mykolaiv region, which suffered due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP by Russian troops in the summer of 2023.

Graduation theses of the «Laboratory of Documentary Cinema». Photo: Media Development Foundation

Program manager Oleksii Khutornyi noted that the participants worked on ideas and filming for four months, and on October 22 they presented five documentaries.

He emphasized that the main goal was not only to create films, but also to teach regional media to work with the documentary format, in particular, in covering war crimes and urgent topics for Ukraine.

«80 teams applied to us, including professional productions. But we wanted to teach regional journalists to work with this format, to document war crimes and to be able to convey Ukrainian topics. We have also translated these movies into English. Perhaps some of them will go to the film festival. We will believe that Ukrainian journalism will be heard at film festivals,» said Khutornyi.

Lesia Bakalets presented a documentary film. Photo: Media Development Foundation

In her presentation, Lesia Bakalets emphasized that at a time when many people have access to water, the residents of Afanasiivka are forced to survive without it.

«As of now, when we have access to running water with you, the residents of this village do not have it. Our heroine Tatiana is an example of optimism even in such conditions,» she said.

The organizers of the program noted that this year they put more emphasis on mentoring. In addition, thanks to the support of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ukraine, all films received financing for production.

In turn, the representative of the Embassy, Jakub Lewandowski, emphasized the importance of showing these films in the Czech Republic and supporting Ukrainian media in wartime conditions.

Participants of the «Laboratory of documentary cinema». Photo: Media Development Foundation

Among other films, «Stronger than Death» was presented, which tells the story of the wife of a civilian who died in captivity; the tape «Under the shadow of the atom» about the shelling of the nuclear reactor in Kharkiv in 2022; «Unconquered Land: Confession of Everyday Heroism» about a resident of Ivankiv who during the occupation saved the heritage of the local museum; «Lessons of Happiness» is a story about how Russian aggression deprives Ukrainian children of their childhood.

We will remind you that Lesia Bakalets comes from Mykolaiv. From 2004 to 2010, she studied at the Institute of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv University, and later worked at such media platforms as Radio Liberty, Channel 5, and 1+1 in Kyiv. From 2017 to 2023, she worked at the Voice of America in Washington. In 2023, she moved to Warsaw. As a native of Mykolaiv, she understands well the problems of local residents, because her relatives have been living in conditions similar to those prevailing in Afanasiivka for the third year.

See also the report «Afanasiivka. What has changed in a year after the flooding of a village in Mykolaiv Oblast?».