The documentary “Traces” by Ukrainian directors Alisa Kovalenko and Marysa Nikityuk won the Panorama Audience Award at the 2026 Berlinale International Film Festival. This was reported by the organizers of the event.
As noted by the State Film Agency of Ukraine, the film tells the story of Ukrainian women who experienced sexual violence and torture during the Russian aggression and refuse to remain silent about their experiences.
“Through the story of Iryna Dovhan – a former prisoner of war, head of Sema Ukraine, who became an activist and documents the testimonies of affected women in the deoccupied territories of Ukraine – the film creates a collective a portrait of trauma, while opening up space for hope.
The film is both a document of war crimes and Russia’s systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Ukraine, as well as a testament to the resistance and resilience of women standing shoulder to shoulder,” the State Film Agency said.
The agency also emphasized that director Alisa Kovalenko has personal experience related to this topic – she suffered from sexual violence while being held captive in Donbas at the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war. She became one of the first women in Ukraine to publicly declare this.
“When I testified in 2016, it turned out that I was the first and only one who then spoke openly about what I had experienced. Now, 10 years later, we, together with six other women, my sisters, are presenting this film at the Berlinale. This is an incredible breakthrough – another stone knocked out of this wall of silence,” said Alisa Kovalenko.
Since “Traces” was not presented in the main competition program, the film did not qualify for the Golden or Silver Bear. At the same time, participation in the Panorama section gave the opportunity to compete for the Audience Award, which has been awarded at the Berlinale for the best feature and documentary films since 1999.
