The Mieroszewski Centre at WATCH DOCS 2025 | Mieroszewski Centre

This year we support five exceptional productions that tell the story of the war in Ukraine from different perspectives: witnesses, medics, artists, soldiers, displaced people, and even nature itself.

Our partnership includes both film screenings and meetings with directors, producers, and film protagonists. These are powerful, timely, and essential documentaries that show the war up close – its absurdities, emotions, and consequences, including those that often remain unseen.

Below are the details of all five titles supported this year by the Mieroszewski Centre and Nova Polshcha.

The Longer You Bleed

The film explores how war infiltrates the virtual world and shapes our sensitivity. Waddell juxtaposes real experiences with images on our screens, revealing how easily we grow numb to scenes of death — and whether we can ever escape them.

Director: Ewan Waddell
Countries: Ukraine, Germany, United Kingdom
Guests: director Ewan Waddell and producer/protagonist Liubov Dyvak

Screenings and discussions:

• 6 December, 18:15, Kinoteka, Hall 3 (Q&A after screening)
• 8 December, 18:15, Muranów, Gerard Hall, debate after screening: “Go Back Where You Came From!” How Russia Changed Public Perceptions of Ukrainian Refugees
• TICKETS AVAILABE HERE

Cuba & Alaska

The first strongly female-driven documentary about the war in Ukraine. It follows two medical rescuers evacuating the wounded from the front line. Their friendship, daring missions and everyday heroism stand in stark contrast to the brutality of war. A story about risk, loyalty, and the strength of human bonds.

Director: Yegor Troyanovsky
Countries: Ukraine, France, Belgium
Guests: protagonists The Artist and Odri

Screenings and discussions:

• 9 December, 18:15, Kinoteka, Hall 2
• 10 December, 20:30, Kinoteka, Hall 3
• TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Special Operation

All footage was recorded using industrial cameras installed at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Reconstructing the Russian occupation of the plant in 2022, Radynski presents it as a metaphor for the full-scale invasion: chaotic, poorly prepared, and fundamentally absurd. A formally and politically powerful documentary.

Director: Oleksiy Radynski
Countries: Ukraine, Lithuania
Guests: director Oleksiy Radynski, producer Lyuba Knorozok, editor Taras Spivak

Screenings and discussions:

• 11 December, 20:30, KINOMUZEUM
• 12 December, 18:15, Kinoteka, Hall 2
• TICKETS ABAILABLE HERE

Under the Sign of Anchor

Edited from archival educational materials, the film tells the story of Kyiv’s naval academy — paradoxically located in a city without access to the sea. Spivak explores the absurdity of Soviet military projects and recalls the history of the cruiser Kyiv, the sister ship of the Moskva, sunk by Ukrainian forces in 2022.

Director: Taras Spivak
Country: Ukraine
Guest: director Taras Spivak (also part of the Special Operation team)

Screenings and discussions:

• 11 December, 21:30, Muranów, Gerard Hall
• 14 December, 20:15, KINOMUZEUM
• TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Divia

The first documentary fully dedicated to the environmental impact of the war in Ukraine. With no dialogue and built entirely from long, monumental shots, Hreshko’s film contrasts the harmony of Ukrainian nature with the cacophony of battlefield destruction. A formally unique and visually striking work.

Director: Dmytro Hreshko
Countries: Poland, Ukraine, the Netherlands

Screenings:

• 12 December, 18:00, Muranów, Gerard Hall
• 13 December, 18:00, Kinomuzeum
• TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Why we support these films

The mission of the Mieroszewski Centre is to deepen understanding of Eastern Europe, support independent creators, and foster dialogue about freedom, responsibility, and the consequences of Russian aggression. WATCH DOCS is a space where these values come alive — through cinema, discussion, and direct encounters with filmmakers.

We invite you to join the screenings and conversations. The full festival programme is available here.