Flowers Beyond the Dark by Iryna Pravylo (Ukraine)
 

Amid the chaos of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Natalia and Serhiy, a couple of artists separated by occupation, quickly lose any contact. They feel paralyzed, drowning in helplessness and uncertainty. At the same time, the soldiers of the 72nd brigade of the Armed Forces, Vitaliy and Serhiy, building unity and finding courage guarding “the road of life”, an evacuation route for civilians. Priest Andriy Halavin is tending to the region's first mass burials on the territory of his church. Almost daily he welcomes international delegations to share evidence of Russia's atrocities, while continuing to be the source of healing for locals who survived the occupation.

The spiritual and physical transformation of Ukrainian people, architecture, and nature – from petrification to the revival of life – was captured during the occupation and after the liberation of the Kyiv region in the early stages of the full-scale war in spring 2022.