Underseen: EU-funded documentary about museum run by the visually impaired in Ukraine pre-premieres in Venice

Underseen, a documentary film about the ‘Museum in the Dark’ in Ukraine, had its pre-premiere at the Impact Leaders event in Venice on 2 and 3 September as a side event of the Venice film Festival.

Underseen tells the story of Alina Marnenko, the founder of a museum run by the visually impaired, as she navigates the meaning of her ‘Museum in the Dark’ in the darkness of wartime. She works to build a more socially inclusive future for Ukraine together with other Ukrainian women.

One of them is Alena Kalibaba, CEO of the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund. The Museum in the Dark is one of the enterprises in the portfolio of the impact fund, the first of its kind in the country, set up within the framework of the EU-funded Collaborate for Impact programme. Presenting the documentary to the audience, Alena called the museum “our unicorn – a true role model for how to prepare society for the amount of inclusivity that is increasingly required in Ukrainian society, right now”.

The screening was followed by a panel discussion with contributions from Věra Jourová, Vice-president of the European Commission, Alina Marnenko, the founder of the Museum in the Dark, Rafael Cortes, the director of Underseen, and Mstyslav Chernov, who won Ukraine its first Oscar with the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol.

“The disclaimer to the film says that it was partly sponsored by the EU but does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the EU. Thank God it does, though. I am happy to see the EU united in their support of Ukraine,” Věra Jourová said. “In a time where independent media are struggling to keep the attention of a polarised society, the mix of good journalism, entertainment and storytelling is essential. It is a necessary trend that needs to be supported. However, we need to remain vigilant to not support propaganda.”

Mstyslav Chernov said: “This is a very important film for Ukraine right now. So many veterans, including some of my friends, come back from the war with visual impairments and really struggle to reintegrate. Any film that helps with that is very valuable.” 

The event is the first in a series of screenings of Underseen across Europe, ranging from mainstream film festivals to impact events, as well as different regional events in Eastern Europe.

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