In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, MOCA’s chief curator November Paynter was in touch with colleagues in East Europe to learn how to support Ukrainian artists at this time. In consultation with Sebastian Cichocki, Chief Curator and Head of Research at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, in solidarity with Ukraine, MOCA is screening six films from the Freefilmers Collective.

Produced prior to the invasion, the videos presented below were selected for their atmospheric qualities. The subjects strive to understand how they fit into their surroundings, using cultural signifiers of the past (such as derelict buildings) as a way to reimagine the future; these are places people choose to stay in and return to, even when difficult.

Freefilmers is a collective of filmmakers and artists, originally from Mariupol, Ukraine. For the past five years, they have been working with themes that explore urban transformations in East Ukraine and the geography’s multicultural vibes. The collective has also researched the working-class creativity and industrial past and present of post-socialist cities. Their most recent projects focus on memories and archives beyond official historical narratives and gender violence in a patriarchal capitalist society. Freefilmers have always stuck to an anti-capitalist agenda and intersectional feminism, and their goal is to create different forms of filmmaking, based on cooperation and an ethical approach.

You can help further by following Freefilmers on Instagram and Facebook, sharing their content, and by donating to them directly.