London’s Raindance Film Festival, taking place from June 17 to 26, has announced its full lineup. This year’s edition will showcase three Ukrainian projects at once: ‘On a Stringer’, the directorial debut of ‘Stop-Zemlia’ cinematographer Sashko Roshchyn; ‘RESCUE’, a feature documenting animal rescue operations in Ukraine’s war zones; and ‘Our Colors Never Fade’, a documentary spotlighting LGBTQ+ Ukrainians who have joined the military. DTF Magazine takes a closer look at each of them
On a stringer
The 14-minute short film marks the directorial debut of Ukrainian cinematographer Sasha Roshchyn, best known for his work on Kateryna Gornostai’s ‘Stop-Zemlia’ and ‘Timestamp’. ‘On a Stringer’ has been selected for the festival’s Narrative Short competition.
The story follows a middle-aged man going through abrupt changes in his life — personal and those caused by the war in Ukraine. ‘In search of balance, he returns to a forgotten hobby and sets out for a day of fishing on the vast waters of the wild Dnipro River’, the synopsis reads.
‘This film is poetic and humanistic. In its story and circumstances, it’s an intimate piece centered on a single character. It tells the story of one day in the life of a soldier fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine, who, while spending his day off immersed in nature, reconnects with the source of love within himself. Through that, we discover the sensitive inner world of a human being’, Roshchyn says.
The lead role is played by Ukrainian rock musician and serviceman Vasyl ‘Prozorov’ Pereverziev, the frontman of the bands TOL and Prozak.
The film’s creative team also includes director of photography Boria Borysov (‘Episodes’), editor Nikon Romanchenko (‘Traces’), and production designer Maksym Nimenko (‘Mavka. The True Myth’). The soundtrack was composed by Oleksii Shmurak (‘Timestamp’) and Mykyta Moiseiev (‘U Are the Universe’), while Viktor Shevchenko, who previously produced Kateryna Gornostai’s ‘Timestamp’, served as producer.
RESCUE
‘RESCUE’ is a documentary produced by the Ukrainian organization ‘Every Animal’ in collaboration with the American independent production company ‘We Are All Animals’. The film has been selected for the festival’s main documentary competition, Documentary Feature.
The documentary tells the stories of volunteers who rescue and evacuate animals — both domestic pets and farm animals — from active war zones in Ukraine. The shoot was held on the ground in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
‘The protagonists of ‘RESCUE’ are people from different corners of the world, united by a shared conviction: every life has value, regardless of species, — the film’s synopsis reads. — A former Ukrainian soldier who became an animal rescuer. A volunteer from Switzerland who left behind a safe life. Among them are a Bulgarian woman who moved to Ukraine after the full-scale invasion and now rescues cats that have survived the war, an Italian who founded an animal shelter in the Kyiv region and chose to stay. Among the animals featured is Olenka, a young goat evacuated from a destroyed village. She became the symbol of the film — and a reminder of the weight of each rescue decision’.
‘RESCUE’ was directed by Alessio Schiazza, whose previous documentary, ‘Cuori Liberi’ (2024), explored the bond between humans and animals. The film was produced by Ukrainian activist and ‘Every Animal’ founder Tamara Human.
Our Colors Never Fade
Built from frontline footage, personal archives, and conversations with its protagonists, the documentary tells the stories of LGBTQ+ Ukrainians serving in the country’s armed forces. It has also been selected for the festival’s Documentary Feature competition.
In ‘Our Colors Never Fade’, American filmmaker and documentarian Jim McSherry explores sacrifice, resilience, and the search for identity and belonging amid the human realities of war.
The film’s description adds: ‘Through the anguished testimonies of dozens of queer men and women, Jim McSherry tells a courageous story of regular people standing up against oppression and intolerance… A fight for survival began — one that challenged long-established norms. As one of the soldiers featured in the film puts it, their mission is ‘to show the world that LGBTQ+ people are not hiding. They fight too. The same blood runs through their veins — it’s red, and it is being shed’’.
Check out the full Raindance Film Festival program here.
