ONLINE SCREENING AND DISCUSSION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ISSUES.

A month ago, given the challenges facing the cultural environment, the DOCU/CLUB team launched online events. A tight screenings schedule has been built, and the network moderators have managed to organize 24 events in a new format.

"This year we finally have a hundred films in our collections and a hundred scripts for film discussions. We had planned that screenings and discussions would take place in film clubs, but due to quarantine restrictions, they could not operate as usual. The Docudays UA festival has managed to hold various events online, so we got inspired by this example and decided to change the format of the work. The DOCU/CLUB team held the first event, and then created conditions for the film clubs’ moderators from different cities and towns of all 24 regions of Ukraine for holding online events,” says project manager Alla Tyutyunnyk.

Besides, in May, the DOCU/CLUB team launched a competition for the best script for educational events among moderators. Under the competition terms, the finalists should hold an online event, screening, and discussion based on their methodology. An expert commission will also assess the event. The winner of the competition will be determined based on the results of the events.

Observation vs. Help is a scenario of the educational event that reached the finals. On 19 June, Alona Hlazkova, the author of the work, held an online thematic event at the Kremenchuk Film Club at the NGO Space of Ideas, applying her methodology. The event Observation vs. Help is dedicated to domestic violence issues, which were discussed through the lens of the Estonian-Lithuanian film Liza, go home. The audience also discussed with the moderators their emotions and feelings after the screening. Afterward, the participants focused on the definitions and types of the phenomenon under the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction to Domestic Violence”. A guest speaker, Kremenchuk Police spokeswoman Anna Vasenko, shared her experience of working with domestic violence.

"Our expert, a police spokeswoman, said the cases when the victims withdraw domestic violence allegations are very common. Sometimes they are afraid of escalating aggression, and sometimes they are ashamed of publicity. She also highlighted another urgent issue, namely the lack of centers for victims," explains Alona Hlazkova, the moderator of the Kremenchuk Film Club event.

After the expert's speech and Q&A session, the moderator organized work in two groups. Part of the audience worked on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, another part was reading with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, highlighting articles that acknowledge domestic violence as a human rights violation.

“During the discussion, it was crucial for us was to move out of the victim-blaming paradigm. We have also discussed the importance of speaking out against violence. In conclusion, we discussed how an ordinary person who has witnessed violence can help the victims,” adds Alona.

The next online screening at the Kremenchuл Film Club at the NGO Space of Ideas will occur on 26 June. The experience of the first event dedicated to domestic violence allowed the organizers to understand what should be improved.

“I would advise myself and my colleagues to prepare specific questions in advance and send them to the speakers so that they could successfully integrate their speeches into the event's structure. Another important organizational point is attention to time. Of course, it is good when the audience is involved, and people want to express their opinion, and this is what we should strive for during our events. However, it is also extremely important to track the time, building constructive dialogue."

Photo - from the facebook-archive of the film club at the NGO Space of Ideas