maaxx.ca

Friends and family of Max Khomenko said their tearful goodbyes as they watched him head to the Ukrainian capital, a dangerous destination due to frequent Russian aerial bombardment.

The 19-year-old living in Winnipeg is a filmmaker who sets out to document the realities of war in his home country. Called Freestanding, or Send, the project will follow the story of Yaroslava, a young Ukrainian who continues her life in kyiv in the midst of war.

Khomenko’s trip had been planned for over a year and was a cherished project.

“The day after the war started, I couldn’t control myself,” Khomenko told CTVNews.ca. “There are so many emotions and feelings going through my head, to be honest, I don’t know how to communicate them.” interview. “I realized that the best way for me to communicate and express my feelings was to channel them into my passion for filmmaking.”

The Ukrainian Canadian was the first member of his family born outside of Ukraine, which allowed him to learn more about his heritage and help others understand the impact of war on the Ukrainians all over the world.

Khomenko discovered cinema at the age of 15 and is heading to Vancouver Film School in 2021 for the one-year program. Upon graduation, Russia invaded Ukraine.

Khomenko spoke to CTVNews.ca 36 hours before he left for Kyiv, one of Ukraine’s hardest-hit cities.

war zone risk

On June 6, more than 30 Russian cruise missiles and drones were shot down by Ukrainian counterattacks. This is the sixth attack in as many days against kyiv.

The capital has been under relentless pressure since the start of the war, with officials reporting thousands of dead and injured in more than a year across the country.

“If I tell you,” Khomenko said before leaving, “No, I’m not nervous. I’m not afraid of that, “I’ll be a liar. To be honest, I am.” “But there’s a kind of instinct in me. There is a kind of feeling that everything is going to be fine. »

Many buildings in Kyiv and parts of Ukraine were damaged by the fighting, including Khomenko’s ancestral home.

“My home in Ukraine, where I grew up, was bombed. There are no more houses. “I saw it on video, but I need to see it in real life and see it with my own eyes.”

Max Khomenko sits in his ruined ancestral home in Ukraine. (Contribute)

Due to security requirements to enter the war zone, none of the other 12 crew members working on the film were able to enter Ukraine with Khomenko. He conducted interviews and single-handedly captured the devastation of kyiv.

Although the bombings have become a new normal for many people still living in Ukraine, the dangers of traveling across the country deeply disturbed Khomenko’s parents.

He told his mother before entering the country that he might have a shot at the front.

“The conversation with my mother today was very emotional when I mentioned that I was thinking of going there even for a few hours,” Khomenko said. “It was something I saw that probably broke his heart.”

But if the opportunity arose, Khomenko said, he couldn’t pass it up.

“Ukraine is doing more than that.”

more than one movie

For him, the documentary project is not only an opportunity to see his homeland and the realities of war, but also to help people in Ukraine.

Khomenko partnered with Zemlyashky and other Ukrainian organizations to bring medical supplies, warm clothes, and women’s health products to soldiers.

Some soldiers, especially women, were not properly equipped – for example, some wore oversized helmets. Running water, internet and the means to keep warm are almost non-existent on the front lines where men from non-military backgrounds fight alongside trained soldiers.

Khomenko said that when the project is complete, a portion of the proceeds from the documentary will be donated to charities working to help people across Ukraine.

“I cannot sit in Vancouver and live a peaceful, stress-free life while my friends and family struggle and suffer in this terrible situation,” he said. “So, at the end of the day: I just realized that I had to do more when it came to this situation.”

Documentary details

Although Khomenko filmed parts of it himself in Ukraine, he had a team of 12 other people who would help bring the documentary to life.

The majority of the team remained in Vancouver, but a small team of five – consisting of a producer, director and sound engineer – traveled to Europe with Khomenko.

Crew received funding for the project from various grants and private investors.

“It was unreal,” he said. “There is no way I could complete a project like this without the help of my team. They have been very supportive, always ready to help me and continue to do their best to make this project a reality.

Law student Valeria sits in a Toronto park for an interview. (Contribute) Despite the documentary’s focus on specific stories, Khomenko said the team filmed people from across Canada, Britain, Georgia and Slovakia in an effort to capture the wider effects of the war.

“We also want the Western world to understand: why is this important to us? Why is this war relevant? Khomenko said. “We will mainly focus on Ukrainian life, and how it spreads beyond Ukraine’s borders and affects the rest of the world.”

life changing trip

Although he was there for work, Khomenko could not contain his emotions in this situation. He believes the trip will change his life.

Khomenko knows how “crazy” it is for a 19-year-old to budget, film and direct a documentary about the ongoing war.

“Like, why would I leave Vancouver and do this? It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Even when I tell people now, they look at me like I’m crazy. And you know, I explained. But it’s kind of a crazy emotion.”

Khomenko entered Ukraine on May 31 and stopped in Lviv, where he plans to interview workers in military hospitals, journalists and people who have fled eastern Ukraine. He budgeted about six to eight weeks in the country at large to gather the necessary materials.

Abandoned Russian tank outside kyiv, Ukraine. (Contribute)

He plans to travel to Kyiv next, where he will make videos showing the bombing that occurred, as well as the damage that was caused. From there, he plans to travel to the Ukrainian countryside to see how the war has affected the small community.

“Mass graves were discovered there and terrible war crimes were committed in these towns,” he said.

Finally, he plans to go to his grandparents’ house which was bombed.

“I was nervous to see it because hearing what happened there is one thing, seeing pictures,[tetapi]been in the neighborhood and seen these mass graves and seen the demolition of houses. .. This is what will make this trip so moving. And it’s life changing, because you can’t compare it to anything in Canada. »