Czech Documentary Now: Photophobia Q&A with director Pavol Pekarčík

To commemorates the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Czech Centre screens the UK Premiere of an original documentary telling the story of a Ukrainian boy Niki who has been living inside the Kharkiv metro station since the beginning of the war.

On a cold February morning, 12-year-old Niki and his family arrive at the Kharkiv metro station to take shelter from the terrifying war raging outside. For Niki's family, daylight is synonymous with mortal danger, and the boy is not allowed to leave the station premises, living under the constant glow of their neon lights. While aimlessly wandering around the abandoned cars and full platforms, Niki meets Vika (11), and a new world opens up to him. As their bond strengthens, the children find the courage once again to feel the sun on their faces.

Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, 2023, 71', English subtitles

UK Premiere
Winner of Europa Cinemas Label Award for the best European Film at the 2023 Venice Film Festival
The Best Czech documentary award at the 27th Ji.Hlava International Documentary Film Festival

When we arrived in Ukraine with humanitarian aid in the spring of 2022, and settled into a life alongside the metro refugees, we realized that the eyes of the world would be on the front line. That was why we decided to find something most closely approaching “ordinary life” and preserve it to the best of our abilities: to find a moment of genuine humanity at a time of devastating horror. We decided to juxtapose the timeless, aimless life lived by Niki and his family with the chilling scenes playing out on ground level, using the format of Super 8mm film footage. We've filmed observations of a war-ravaged country that might seem as the distant ideas of a traumatized child – a fever dream from times long past – if only the audience did not know that this was the reality of Ukraine nowadays." Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík
The screening commemorates the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for peace and justice.

Admission: £5 ( Eventbrite fee)