HOW ARE YOU?

How Are You? [Як ти?] is probably the most frequently asked question in Ukraine of the last weeks. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine and thus the start of a full-scale war, this otherwise trivial question, whether it’s asked by relatives or acquaintances, has suddenly gained a myriad of whole new meanings. Are you alive? Are you safe? How are you feeling? Do you need help? Do you still have a safe place to stay? – these are just a very few of them. This question has become the ultimate expression of love and support, an expression of much-needed hope that helps to survive yet another day full of uncertainty and danger to life. Ukrainian artists, whose feature films and video works were put together for the How Are You? screening program providentially posed this question in both the private and public domain, exposing Ukrainian reality of the years prior to the invasion i.e. during the war in Donbas that has lasted since 2014. Their inquiries engage with a wide spectrum of subjects and vary in execution, though the faint silhouette of war and the violence it brings looms in each and every work. Evidently, the scariest answer to the posed question is silence. So, the artists chose to speak out loud, even if their answer so far is grievous I’m not OK. This channel is curated by Kateryna Filyuk. Please consider helping Funds for Ukrainian Artists: https://linktr.ee/ikonotv.how_are_you