The prize is awarded to activists and organizations that work in the protection of and support for human rights and freedoms. This year, candidates for the award came from two hundred countries.
The award was given for the documentary "Shut the F*** Up!" It is about a teenager, Serhiy Chaharov, who has fought against corruption in his home village of Hatne near Kyiv since he was 15 years old. His weapons are documents and journalistic texts. During one of the village council’s meetings, a councillor whom Serhiy had accused of corruption attacked the activist and publicly threatened him. All the major Ukrainian media wrote about this case. For them, Serhiy is a hero. For some people in the village, he is a shame. He receives threats and is advised to “stay away from adult business”. And one night, an explosive device is placed in his yard.
The film won the CIVIL PITCH: Civil Activism Films project, founded by Docudays NGO. It was a unique format for Ukraine where civil activists and filmmakers came together to create documentaries that aimed to create change in society.
The film premiered at the Docudays UA International Human Rights Film Festival, and then it was included in the sixth selection of the film club collection. Now it is in the top five most-used films in the DOCU/CLUB Network in 2020.
The story depicted in the film is not over yet. In October last year, Taisiia was attacked during shooting. She was filming a session meeting of the election commission in Hatne, Kyiv Region. Locals reported that buses with “Titushkas” (hired thugs), as well as police patrols, came to the village to support one of the candidates. The filmmaker tried to capture everything that was happening. Law enforcement officers prevented her from doing so and tore the camera out of her hands. They ignored the claims that they were obstructing the work of a journalist. Taisiia immediately reported the attack to the police and the State Investigation Bureau. A criminal case was opened based on Article 171 of the Criminal Code (“Obstruction of the legal professional activities of journalists”).
So we can soon expect a new film by this director; for now, we recommend you to rewatch the film. You can find the announcements of events on the film club Facebook page, or you can organize a film screening yourself. To do this, register your own film club at this link and get free access to guidelines and to the best documentaries from all over the world.
The DOCU/CLUB—For Reforms! project is funded by the European Union and the National Endowment for Democracy.
