AUSTIN, Texas — Kharkiv-born filmmaker Asya Nikolaeva thought she would be heading to South by Southwest this year with her crew to showcase her work. Instead, she found herself part of a panel of Ukrainian artists talking about the war in her country.
On Thursday afternoon, “Ukraine for Peace: Supporting the Creators and Innovators” brought together leaders of the Ukrainian art, fashion, music, film and tech communities to speak up about the reality of the situation in Eastern Europe.
Nikolaeva was joined on stage by Ukrainian fashion designers Natalia Modenova and Daria Shapovalova, while 3D artist Eugene Golovanchuk joined remotely from Ukraine.
Nikolaeva's shift from SXSW filmmaker to anti-war panelist reflects the sudden change in reality Ukrainians have experienced since Feb. 24, when Russia began a military invasion in their country.
For Ukrainians like Nikolaeva, Modenova and Shapovalova, who live in the U.S., it is “like living in two dimensions,” Nikolaeva told the SXSW crowd – living their lives in the U.S. while friends and family back home send them messages from the war.
The session on Thursday focused on how artists were using their creative talents to help Ukraine.
Modenova and Shapovalova have used their skills in the past to help raise money for Ukraine. Following the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 – when Russia annexed Crimea, and separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk sparked the Donbas war in Eastern Ukraine – the designers launched “Fashion for Peace,” using what they knew to help raise money for Ukrainian freedom and sovereignty.
In 2019, the two launched DressX as a platform for digital-only fashion. Now, the company is selling a “Support Ukraine” collection, featuring digital apparel in the colors of the Ukrainian flag to help raise money for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, 3D fashion designers who lost their homes and jobs, as well as various charitable funds.
The most powerful moment of Thursday’s event was when the panel showed a video created by their friends back home, members of the Ukrainian creative community, including musicians, filmmakers and designers. Each had their own story from the war and how their lives and livelihoods were upended by the Russian invasion.
The video featured a message from members of Ukrainian pop group KAZKA, who had been scheduled to play this year’s SXSW. Instead, two of the three members have been drafted into military service to fight for their country.
KAZKA singer Oleksandra Zaritska managed to make it to the U.S. on her own and will now perform at a showcase on Saturday night at Speakeasy (412 Congress) called “Austin Stands with Ukraine.” Austin musicians Bryan Ray, Ryan Hagler and Charlie Harper will play as her backing band. Other Ukrainian guest musicians are also set to be announced.
The panel on Thursday noted that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, himself came from the creative community of Ukraine, starting his career as a comedian and actor. They stressed the power the artistic community can have on affecting change and advocating for peace.
Among their recommendations to filmmakers, artists, musicians and innovators that attend SXSW was to hire Ukrainians who have lost their work because of the war.
The event finished with a phrase many in the West have become familiar with over the past three weeks: “Slava Ukraini, glory to Ukraine!”
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