The healing power of art: Kharkiv
Production company: Kukuruza production. Director: Kirill Gonchar. Executive producer: Valery Honcharova. Executive producer: Rob VanAlkemade / Medicinal Media. Full cast and crew credits below.
There are at least 110 ongoing armed conflicts in the world today, according to the Geneva Academy. For any victim of war, the horror is incomparable and the impacts on mental health are undisputed. Today we are examining just one story of resilient artistic expression amid war. This piece takes us to a theatrical troupe in Kharkiv, Ukraine, one made up of passionate performers who have been creating captivating and relevant productions through the invasion that began two years ago.
We deeply thank Kukuruza, the independent documentary team we met during our ongoing coverage of VR exposure therapy for PTSD, which began in early 2023. Kukuruza has created this documentary about the theatrical troupe Nafta in Kharkiv, as they adapted through the protests for Ukrainian democracy, the COVID lockdowns, the Crimean invasion, and the current nationwide existential crisis which has further galvanized their creative purpose.
Kharkiv 2024
“The function of theater is to preserve oneself,” says Nina Khyzhna, stage director of the Nafta Theater, “as empathic; capable of reflection, capable of deep sensual and intellectual work, to reclaim the personalities that were repressed and shot, to reclaim this space for ourselves, to accept and embrace this wasteland that is being created here… and to somehow live with it, to love it anew.”
Nafta theatrical production: Naftalab Kharkiv
Crew
Production company: Kukuruza production @kukurudza_production
Director: Kirill Gonchar @kirill.gonchar
Executive producer: Valery Honcharova @valeri_hon
Account manager: Vladimir Minak
Post producer: Roman Zarinov @romanzarinov
Director of photography: Kirill Gonchar
1st AC: Roman Zarinov @romanzarinov
2st AC/PA: Mykhailo Boiuka
Editor: Olesia Labik @_filmdirector_
Colorist: Andrii Mynko
Motion designer: Krystyna Safarova @safarova.kris
Sound producer: Andrii Masalimov @markham_bd
Cast and contributors
Artem Vusyk: @scissor_vus
Nina Khyzhna: @nina.hyzhna
Nafta Theater: @teatr.nafta
Original music for “Rat” by Serhii Savenko: @owl_clarinet
Performance trailers by Dmytro Pashko: @dmiitry
“Rainbow on Saltivka” video and edit: @j.menshykova @khutko.pro
Location: Some People: @somepeople.ua
You may also like:
New virtual reality therapies are being developed to help Ukrainian soldiers recover from PTSD