Ukrainian artist brings tragic Mariupol war diary to 83rd Venice Film Festival

Savenko’s diary, which documents the initial weeks of the siege of Mariupol at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, is preserved in the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s Museum of Civilian Voices. To integrate the written entries into Bulgakova’s project for the international festival audience, the texts were recorded and narrated by Ukrainian actress Dariya Tvoronovych.

At the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the Spomyny installation will be showcased in the 10th-anniversary Venice Immersive lineup as part of the "Best of Experiences" category. The competitive selection comprises 68 works from 26 countries, including new creative projects featuring Margot Robbie, Andy Serkis, Mark Ruffalo, Omar Sy, and Isabelle Huppert.

Bulgakova’s Spomyny consists of personal and collective testimonies recorded across the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, translated into spatial sound artifacts. The physical installation is constructed out of meters of industrial acoustic insulation pipes.

"By opening one channel at a time and layering sounds across the piping, viewers immerse themselves in a non-linear narrative woven from my intimate experiences," Bulgakova said.

"Among the realities they encounter are my inner struggles navigating living abroad versus returning home in recent years, gathered testimonies and conversations with friends, family, and strangers across Ukraine, as well as archival recordings from social media and news channels capturing moments of extraordinary trauma within daily reality. Kateryna Savenko's voice, preserved in her Mariupol diary, now joins this polyphony."

The exhibition will run in Venice from Sept. 2 through Sept. 12.

About Kateryna Savenko and her siege diary

Kateryna Savenko was 42 years old when she sustained severe blast injuries during Russian bombardment of Mariupol on March 29, 2022 — an attack that killed her husband, Vitaliy. While hospitalized, Savenko used her uninjured hand to type a message on her mobile phone pleading with her daughter to retrieve and preserve the handwritten diary documenting the invasion's opening days.

After a fire engulfed the medical facility where she was being treated, Savenko managed to escape the burning structure. She died on April 4, 2022, in her mother's arms while sheltering in a basement. Her family recovered the manuscript and later donated the text to the Museum of Civilian Voices. The diary later formed the foundation of a memorial book featuring forewords by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk and former Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory Anton Drobovych.