Content from DIM filmhouse

What stands behind the Black Square, painted in 1915 by the obsessive artist Kazymyr Malevych? For his competitors, a fraud, for the Soviet regime, a secret code, for one woman, a love letter, for the people of Ukraine – a prophecy…

The film tells the story of the renowned Ukrainian documentary photographer, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, while also introducing Ukraine, Ukrainians, and their difficult journey from their soviet past to the current bloody struggle for their freedom to the world.

Set against the backdrop of war-torn Ukraine, “VONA” a feature length documentary, exposes a jarring reality: nature has become a new battleground. With meticulous strategy, Russian forces exploit AIR, WATER, SOIL and RADIATION. Weaponizing these elements to wreak havoc. The film delves into four distinct lives, weaving a narrative that unveils the perilous fight for our planet’s future. Through the lens of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, “VONA” unearths the ecological toll of war while offering a ray of hope, spotlighting pathways to mend our wounded Earth.

The story of people through whose eyes Ukrainians and the world see the events of our time—photographers who document the war and its consequences. The project was filmed with state support. Among the film's protagonists are Stas Kozlyuk, Georgy Ivanchenko, Yefrem Lukatsky, Arseniy Gerasymenko, Danilo Pavlov, Nicoletta Stoyanova, Olga Kovaleva, Kateryna Radchenko, and Yevgen Dyaditsyn. Their work is often frightening in its truthfulness, and so it comes with a warning label for readers: "Sensitive content." The film's protagonists share their understanding of photography as a universal language that can tell the world the truth about war, and they talk about the ethical dilemmas they face in their work.