The Ukrainian documentary “Diviia” by Dmytro Hreshko received the Tom Berman Award for Best Documentary at the Ann Arbour Film Festival.

This was reported to Suspilne Culture by the film’s team.

The Ann Arbour Film Festival ran from March 24 to 29 and is currently continuing online until April 13.

Adelina Borets’ film “Flowers of Ukraine” also took part in the documentary competition. The full list of winners can be found on the festival’s website.

The award was personally received by the film’s producer Polina Herman and executive producer Dan Frank.

The award at the festival was received by the film’s producer Polina Herman and executive producer Dan Frank. Photo provided by the team of the film “Diviia.”

What the film “Diviia” is about

The observational documentary “Diviia” by Dmytro Hreshko tells the story of the catastrophic impact of Russian aggression and the war on Ukraine’s natural environment. The title comes from a Slavic goddess of nature who embodies the mother of all living things.

Filming began in the spring of 2022, both near the front line and in Ukraine’s nature reserves. The filmmakers also used footage from the de-occupied territories of the Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions, as well as from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

In addition, they managed to capture the flooded areas of the Kherson region caused by the waters of the Kakhovka Reservoir, animal rescue efforts, and the aftermath of the tragedy immediately after Russian forces blew up the dam.

The film also includes archival footage of Ukraine’s nature before the war, provided by the Ukraïner creative team — in particular, from the Oleshky Sands National Nature Park and from Crimea.

Bisons. Still from the teaser of the film “Diviia.”

The film’s producers are Polina Herman and Hlib Lukianets. The film is a Polish-Ukrainian-Dutch co-production, with Richard Valk (Valk Productions, the Netherlands) as a co-producer.

The music for the film was composed by two-time Grammy Award winner Sam Slater (“Chernobyl,” the game Battlefield 2042, and the films “Joker” and “2000 Meters to Andriivka”).

Sound on the film was handled by Vasyl Yavtushenko and Mykhailo Zakutskyi (“Militantropos,” “Fragments of Ice,” “Songs of a Slowly Burning Land,” “Butterfly Vision,” “Timestamp”).

At the end of 2024, director Dmytro Hreshko joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and became a member of the “Cultural Forces” initiative.

Director of the film “Diviia,” Dmytro Hreshko. Photo: Anastasiia Mantach.

What is known about the Ann Arbour Film Festival

The Ann Arbour Film Festival is the oldest festival of experimental and avant-garde cinema in North America, founded by George Manupelli in 1963. It is widely recognized around the world as a leading platform for independent filmmakers and artists.

This year, the festival placed a strong focus on Ukrainian cinema in both its competition and non-competition programs.

The Tom Berman Award was established in honor of AAFF founder George Manupelli at the University of Michigan, who was among the festival’s early supporters. The award recognizes the best documentary film, with winners receiving a $5,000 prize.

EMPR