The Kharkiv MeetDocs Festival team launched the new award “For contribution to the development of documentary”.

According to the Kharkiv MeetDocs (KMD) official Facebook, the laureates were:

  • Freedom of Experience and Action Award – Babylon ’13, an association of independent filmmakers formed at the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity;
  • Freedom of Expression Award – “The Last Day at Azovstal”, a part of the “Fortress Mariupol” series, directed by Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi and Yuliia Hontaruk. “Orest”, the head of the press service of the Azov Regiment, has been at “Azovstal” since the beginning of the siege of Mariupol. On the eve of his exit from the shattered factory, he made a farewell film;
  • Achievment Prize for a Contribution to the Development of Cinema – Serhii Bukovskyi, a prominent Ukrainian documentary film director;
  • Sevgil Musayeva, the editor-in-chief of the top independent news site Ukrayinska Pravda;
  • Yuriy Butusov, “Zerkalo nedeli” (Weekly Mirror) journalist and editor of Censor.net.

The 6th Eastern Ukrainian Film Festival KMD took place on Oct. 1-6 in a mixed online and offline format. The offline events of the festival were held in Kyiv for security reasons.

“Kharkiv MeetDocs is an international documentary and feature film festival that focuses on the culture, problems, and daily life of the eastern regions of Ukraine. Festival programs include screenings of the best films from such festivals as the Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, Festival international du film de Cannes, Oscar nominees and laureates. The festival program includes a national and international competition for feature and documentary full-length and short films, special screenings, and national premieres, as well as an industrial section consisting of workshops, master classes, and creative meetings with industry professionals,” describes the ideas of the festival the KMD website.

Kharkiv MeetDocs was founded in 2017. It aims to popularize Ukrainian documentaries and feature films and contribute to the cultural development of Eastern Ukraine.

Earlier this month Forbes reported that the American streaming service Netflix would buy 14 Ukrainian films.