Ukrainian documentary filmmaker Serhiy Korovainy won second place in the Italian Siena Awards photo contest, drawing the world's attention to the war in Donbas. His series of photographs Ground Zero Of Ukrainian War was recognized in the Storyboard category, which specializes in documentary photo stories.
Serhiy's project tells the story of life and death in eastern Ukraine, where the war has been going on for over nine years. “Donbas is the epicenter of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Civilians here have been suffering long before the full-scale invasion in 2022,” he says. Most of the photos for this story were taken in February 2023 in the cities that have become symbols of resistance: Avdiivka, Vuhledar and Marinka.
“This land has been suffering the pain of war for longer than anyone realizes. At the time, there was less talk about Ukraine, but for people here, suffering has long been the norm,” the photographer notes.
Korovainyi does not hide the fact that this project is not just a job for him, it is a personal story. He is originally from eastern Ukraine, and every trip to the region is a return to a place where he feels a personal and painful connection to his native land.
“I cannot imagine this story without the military. They are part of what is happening here. I spent most of the summer in Donbas collecting new footage, and I don't stop filming,” says Serhiy.
Siena Awards is an annual photography festival that brings together the world's best documentary filmmakers and artists in the Italian city of Siena. Although it is a small city, the festival has a large-scale impact on the world of photography and culture. This year, on the stage of the ancient Teatro dei Rinnovati, distinguished cultural figures presented crystal statuettes to the winners in various categories, from fine art to photojournalism.
Serhiy Korovainyi won second place in his category, losing to a photo story from Palestine. “Unfortunately, in competitions, relevance often becomes the determining factor. Palestine is in focus now, and unfortunately, I understand this choice,” the photographer comments. However, Serhiy is not disappointed: “It's important for me that my work was heard. This is a chance to remind the world that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing.”
Korovainyi also showed photos from recent tragic events in Ukraine: shots of civilians being evacuated from Pokrovsk and images of the Bazylevych family, who died during Russian shelling in Lviv. “It is emotionally difficult, but these stories must be told. This is the reality we live in,” says Serhiy.
The photographer emphasizes that he will continue to photograph this war: “This is just a part of a bigger story. And I continue to collect it.”
Participation in international photography competitions allows Ukrainian documentary filmmakers to convey the reality of the war in Ukraine to the international community. In addition to Korovainyi, photographer Olena Hrom also distinguished herself at the competition. Her photo from the Stolen Spring photo series won first place in the Fine Art category.
As a reminder, the photo series by Konstantin and Vlada Liberov won the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award. Their story about the war in Ukraine received several high honors.
We worked on the material:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
Ukrainian documentary filmmaker Serhiy Korovainy won second place in the Italian Siena Awards photo contest, drawing the world's attention to the war in Donbas. His series of photographs Ground Zero Of Ukrainian War was recognized in the Storyboard category, which specializes in documentary photo stories.
Serhiy's project tells the story of life and death in eastern Ukraine, where the war has been going on for over nine years. “Donbas is the epicenter of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Civilians here have been suffering long before the full-scale invasion in 2022,” he says. Most of the photos for this story were taken in February 2023 in the cities that have become symbols of resistance: Avdiivka, Vuhledar and Marinka.
“This land has been suffering the pain of war for longer than anyone realizes. At the time, there was less talk about Ukraine, but for people here, suffering has long been the norm,” the photographer notes.
Korovainyi does not hide the fact that this project is not just a job for him, it is a personal story. He is originally from eastern Ukraine, and every trip to the region is a return to a place where he feels a personal and painful connection to his native land.
“I cannot imagine this story without the military. They are part of what is happening here. I spent most of the summer in Donbas collecting new footage, and I don't stop filming,” says Serhiy.
Siena Awards is an annual photography festival that brings together the world's best documentary filmmakers and artists in the Italian city of Siena. Although it is a small city, the festival has a large-scale impact on the world of photography and culture. This year, on the stage of the ancient Teatro dei Rinnovati, distinguished cultural figures presented crystal statuettes to the winners in various categories, from fine art to photojournalism.
Serhiy Korovainyi won second place in his category, losing to a photo story from Palestine. “Unfortunately, in competitions, relevance often becomes the determining factor. Palestine is in focus now, and unfortunately, I understand this choice,” the photographer comments. However, Serhiy is not disappointed: “It's important for me that my work was heard. This is a chance to remind the world that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing.”
Korovainyi also showed photos from recent tragic events in Ukraine: shots of civilians being evacuated from Pokrovsk and images of the Bazylevych family, who died during Russian shelling in Lviv. “It is emotionally difficult, but these stories must be told. This is the reality we live in,” says Serhiy.
The photographer emphasizes that he will continue to photograph this war: “This is just a part of a bigger story. And I continue to collect it.”
Participation in international photography competitions allows Ukrainian documentary filmmakers to convey the reality of the war in Ukraine to the international community. In addition to Korovainyi, photographer Olena Hrom also distinguished herself at the competition. Her photo from the Stolen Spring photo series won first place in the Fine Art category.
As a reminder, the photo series by Konstantin and Vlada Liberov won the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award. Their story about the war in Ukraine received several high honors.
We worked on the material:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
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