At this year’s Heart of Europe International TV Festival, no category has received a greater amount of submissions than Documentary which boasts 41 entries.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and innovation within this category,” Documentary juror Aleksanda Prokopiuk told WitrualneMedia, adding: “There is a tried and tested formula widely employed in TV nonfiction. Before watching this year’s entries, I was slightly worried that all the entries would rely on these traditional ways of storytelling or be somewhat limited thematically. But in the end I was incredibly impressed by the sheer variety of style and form, not to mention the scope of topics covered.”

One subject more prevalent than others was, quite naturally, Ukraine. But not all of the submissions focused on the horrors of war. “Particularly interesting from today’s point of view, are that Ukraine-focused projects that are not limited to the recent tragic events. I was very touched by the productions exploring Ukraine’s rich heritage, diversity and multiculturalism – made before the escalation of Russian aggression,” said the juror.

In terms of films related to the ongoing war, what stands out is their incredible urgency. We are used to seeing war as a historical event and most documentaries look back at it, rather than capture it in real time. But these days our insight into the atrocities of war is greater than ever – thanks to the immediacy of the internet and the current news formula. In a similar way, TV documentaries do the crucial job of keeping us informed and up-to-date with what is truly important, thus fulfilling the mission of public broadcasting. This is particularly impressive with regard to Ukrainian filmmakers who defy the uniquely difficult circumstances to capture war from the inside and to testify against the Russian propaganda.

What all Ukraine-related entries have in common is not only their authenticity and their incredible factuality, which will only grow in value in the future, but also their thematic scope. The Lithuanian documentary When Artillery Falls Silent centers the experience of soldiers and local residents engaged in the fight with the Russian aggressor. In the Polish series Mother of Wartime the focus shifts to women who have found shelter in Poland and now tell the viewers – in their own words – what they have gone through. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Bucha 22 explores the tragedy of an unsuccessful attempt to escape the war. It tells the story of a family who left the war-torn Donbas and settled in Bucha, outside of Kyiv, hoping for a better life. When the war caught up with them, they tried to leave again but were mercilessly killed in the process. This perfectly made documentary captures human tragedy to tell the truth about the war and the ruthlessness of Russian crimes.

Due to the sheer number of submitted films, it is hard to distinguish a single, dominating subject. But in terms of form, there has been a great amount of innovation. “There is a clear interest in shorter formats, a visible attempt to “condense” the documentary in order to make them more palatable for the younger online audiences,” said the juror. One such example is the series Shades of Ukraine where different national minorities are introduced to the viewer through small segments, several minutes long. A part of the competition is the episode She, Karaite which tells the story of octogenarian Sofiia Yapalchyk, the last of non-assimilated Karaites in Ukraine. A mathematician by profession and poet by passion, she has devoted her life to preserving the identity and tradition of her community, effectively saving the Karaite culture from falling into obscurity. The segment’s young director used the several minutes at hand to provide insight into Sofiia’s life – without sacrificing the heart of the story and in a way that makes it accessible to a wider audience. Another example of freshness of form was Slovak documentary Lines – a black and white artistic experiment which captures present-day Bratislava and its residents. The fact that films like this are part of the competition clearly shows that the distinctions between TV and cinematic documentary are disappearing and that formally, two genres are getting closer and closer.

There is a theme that dominates in all categories of this year’s Heart of Europe. The stories are told, and the past and present explored, from the perspective of an individual. Even pivotal historical events are viewed through the lens of one person’s life and fate – hard or doomed as it may be. Immersed in their story, we get closer to the events that shaped the nations of our region and get a clearer grasp of the collective experience.

The central focus of this year’s edition is “identity” and celebrating what is local and unique to our place in the world. From history and art to nature and sport. From notable figures of the past to “everyday heroes”. History serves as a background for character-driven storytelling. “All broadcasters have submitted productions that they perceive as important and what’s the most important are human interest stories,” said juror Anna Kowalewska-Onaszkiewicz from the Feature Film section. For instance, the Bulgarian entry Connection explores the idea of teenage love in the age of social media – a very timely subject that many people can relate to. On the other hand, the Slovak adaptation of the early 20th century novel Jozef Mak focuses on the inner life of the protagonist in a way that resonates with today’s viewers. It may be a period drama but it offers universally valid thoughts on the idea of migration and the search for one’s place in the world. This proves that even historical film can be intimate in scope and prioritize the character’s psychology. It is very gratifying to see that history-driven TV is no longer limited to its traditional formula but instead it reinvents itself to fit the needs of the modern-day audience. This sort of approach – the human focus against the backdrop of recent, painful history – is prevalent in many of this year’s entries. One example is Latvia’s Post At Dawn – a horrifying account of the 1991 murder of seven border guards in Medininkai by members of the Russian militia; or the Polish Babylon. The Martial Law Brief which tells the story inspired by the real-life tragedy of Grzegorz Przemyk and the grievous events of 1982.

One interesting trend is the “unforgetting” of previously overlooked historical figures – from writers and artists to social activists – says Aleksandra Prokopiuk, a juror in the Documentary category. For example, the story of Lesia Ukrainka – the Ukrainian-born poet who settled and lived in Hungary, or the portrait of Toyen – a surrealist painter who is better known in France than in her native Czechia. Reclaiming the heroes of the past – who had got lost in the pages of history – is a great way to celebrate our Eastern European identity and to express pride in those who were born on this land and had a role in shaping it. In some cases, even well-known figures can benefit from a fresh perspective. A great example of this is the 8-part documentary series. The Triumph Road which focuses on the life of someone we all learned about but still know little of – the great warlord Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius. The series reenergizes the narrative and tells his story in a way so dynamic that the viewer is forced to develop an interest.

Coming back to feature film, Anna Kowalewska-Onaszkiewicz emphasizes the high production value of all submitted titles, and added: “These are not your typical TV movies but artistically mature films that adhere to the standards of modern cinema”.