Portaitissa of Donetsk

‘The heavier the losses, the more you appreciate every calm day, the opportunity to go to work without fear that something will burst over you or next to you’. Eight years ago, Abbess Mikhail (Shevchenko) and her assistant Yulia suddenly found themselves at the epicentre of the fighting in the Holy Iberian Monastery, opposite Donetsk airport.

In 2014, there were battles between the Armed Forces of Ukraine forces and the militia of Donbass. At any moment, the women could leave, but they refused to leave the temple. Director Natalya Batraeva submitted the film Portaitissa of Donetsk to the aRTel.doc Documentary competition. It took three years to film and a year to edit.

The film has been shown in many countries and won over a dozen prizes at film festivals. However, after the film's premiere in Kosovo, the Albanian authorities banned the director from entering the country.