Our team at the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), in partnership with “Voices of Children,” presented the documentary film “Generation” at the Zhovten Cinema Club – a view of the war through the perspective of Ukrainian teenagers, whose childhoods were forever changed by Russian aggression.

The event was joined by the young heroes of the film, director Marysia Nikitiuk, co-founder of “Voices of Children” and human rights activist Olena Rozvadovska, ICUV expert and Chair of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA Olha Aivazovska, and Chair of the Center for Civil Liberties and Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk.

The film was created by teenagers from different parts of Ukraine who have faced the realities of war. “Generation” is 14 stories that reveal a world where children are forced to grow up too quickly.

For five months, director Marysia Nikitiuk and psychologist Daria Parshintseva worked with the children, helping them express their pain, hopes, and dreams through film.

When the full-scale war began, I felt everyone around was making decisions: whether to attack or not, to capture Kyiv in three days, or to provide assistance. I felt like I wasn’t deciding anything, and this feeling lasted for a long time… How can you cope when reality affects you so intensely? For me, it was through the art of writing stories. When you have accumulated psychological energy and don’t know how to handle it, you need to channel it somewhere,

Marysia Nikitiuk, film director

One of the heroines of the film is 17-year-old Sofia Opanasenko from Kramatorsk, who had to move to Kyiv after the occupation of her hometown.

At first, I wasn’t enthusiastic about it at all; I was depressed, lying in bed, not wanting to do anything. I felt happy to make it through the selection when I got admitted into the course. Then, a psychologist and the director worked with us, gradually giving new information and sparking our interest. In the end, I am very grateful for this project because I made my life interesting again and started to see my future.

Sofia Opanasenko, the heroines of the film

After the film, during the discussion “Growing Up in War,” Olha Aivazovska emphasized:

We visited parliaments in the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and the Netherlands. The testimonies of these children and teenagers are valuable because they are genuine. Children and teenagers are a universal mechanism for telling the truth because they are the truth. They cannot embellish or fake tears like actors can. That raw emotion or even just a calm recounting of a real story is far more impactful than reports by lawyers, analysts, or speeches by politicians.

Olha Aivazovska, ICUV expert and Chair of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022, shared how the stories of children during the full-scale invasion resonate on the international stage.

It breaks my heart that our children have to go through this. I feel a great responsibility and fear of leaving this war as their legacy. These times mark the collapse of the entire international system of peace and security. It doesn’t work. Previously, this might have been obvious to children in Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, or Venezuela. Now even adults in stable societies begin realizing that they live in the illusion of security, human rights, and an international system that protects them,

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022

“Generation” is not just a film. It is the voice of children that must be heard. We are truly grateful to everyone who supported this project and helps the world stand with Ukraine.