Thank you for your time for our conversation. Tell us more about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you do?
My name is Taras. I’m 34 years old. I was born in Lviv. From the second year of university, I started working in television as a cameraman. I really liked this job. I worked on various channels and projects, from news and investigations to social projects. Eventually, I quit and started working for myself. For over 15 years now, I’ve been doing it. I shoot commercials, social projects, documentary films.
Did you always dream of being a video and photo author?
I can’t say I always dreamed of it. But my father is a cameraman too. He helped me to fall in love with this job. As a child, he gave me a camera and I used to run around filming everything. Then, somewhere around my first year of university, it turned into something more than just a hobby.
Can you remember February 24, 2022? Did you believe that the predictions of Western experts would come true, and a full-scale war would begin?
I have a godfather of my child in the military. And he had told me earlier: «You’ll see, there will be a war!» Still somewhere in my heart I hoped that it would not happen. But I realized it had begun on February 24, when everyone woke up to the air raid alert!
In fact, I was surprised why we, as a state, had not prepared for this properly by 2022. We were told by military experts that there would be a war, but people were reassured on the contrary. And then we saw all the horrors that the russians did to us. An American filmmaker and I started making a documentary about the «russian peace» in 2022. We were in many cities that had been hit by Russian missiles and drones: Kyiv, Bucha, Irpin, Borodianka, Kramatorsk, and at that time, Bakhmut. I saw personally this deep pain, suffering and tears of innocent Ukrainians.
Later, there was another trip: Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv. Deoccupied villages, where children told how they were forced to stand on their knees at gunpoint, destroyed houses and kindergartens…. Izium was just destroyed! There I spoke with a local resident, an 18-year-old boy. His eyes were full of pity, sadness and fear, it’s hard to imagine what horrors they saw. I will never forget those eyes.
Why did you decide to film destroyed buildings, and sometimes even entire cities? Did someone encourage you to do this?
I decided that people abroad need to know what is happening here! That we have a real and terrible war!
I was encouraged to take this step by an American director, who hired me as a cameraman for a documentary about the war.
In addition, while I was working on television, I traveled to film stories in the ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine). I was in Mariupol (after it was liberated), Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk.
You mentioned that you made a documentary in 2022. What was it about, and where can we find it?
It was a film for an American filmmaker. He came to Ukraine and was looking for a crew to shoot it here. The first time we were only in Lviv, and the second time we went to the eastern part of Ukraine. Unfortunately, the documentary has not finished yet. The film itself has a strong informational value. Firstly, it is about what is happening here, about russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine and the fact that we urgently need help from our foreign partners. Here is a video of the second trip to the east.
I understand that it is very difficult to see places that have been destroyed to dust. How do you cope with this emotional tension while traveling so close to the frontline?
Actually, over the years, I’ve learned to take it as just a job. I shoot and try not to think about what happened there. But in the evening after the shooting, I start processing all this information, these shots are really heartbreaking. When we were in Kharkiv, we stopped by the Saltivka district. I stood in front of a ruined house and just looked at it. There was such a painful energy coming from that house that I just couldn’t even come closer! It’s impossible to overcome this feeling, you can only comprehend it. It is very painful and scary.
When we were in Kramatorsk, a rocket landed near our house, just a hundred meters away. The house was shaking violently, it seemed like it was a direct hit! It was one of the S-300 attacks.
Despite the constant risks and danger, you continue to travel so close to the frontline areas and film. What gives you the strength to continue?
Actually, I don’t go there and film it pretty often. There are people, our heroes, who sit in blindage under fire every day, who protect us and do not give up despite the awful weather or any other circumstances. There are people who are filming the hell that Russia is creating for us. So I have no right to complain. Compared to them, we are doing well!
You posted photos and videos from your trip to Kharkiv region on your Instagram. Are you planning any more trips in the future? If so, where to?
There will be a trip next week. We are going to Chernihiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regions. The focus of it is on social and educational topics.
I recommend watching the movie «20 Days in Mariupol» for a number of
reasons. The film is an important documentary evidence of all the horrors of war that took place in Mariupol during the russian invasion. It clearly shows the destruction of the city, the suffering of its residences and the heroism of those who remained to defend and help others. Watching the film helps to support Ukrainian filmmakers who risk their lives to document the truth and bring it to the world. These are people we should be proud of and the whole country is proud of! They are great! They are the ones to look up to.
What is your professional goal in the near future?
My goal is pretty simple. I really want to make movies. I want to do more interesting and creative work. And of course develop, develop and develop again!
What advice can you give to young people who want to develop in this field and travel to the front-line zones to shoot documentaries?
I would advise firstly to learn, develop, watch great films, shoot and don’t stop even when it’s difficult, and you want to give up. Allow yourself to make mistakes, but never stop. Learn from these mistakes and continue filming, become professionals in your field and a pride of your country. The main thing is desire! If you have it, everything will work out!
Please share a link where we can view your works.
You can mostly find my works on my Instagram and at the link.
Translator: Yuliia Koleha
