- No one expected this war.
That it would be such a horror, says Mila Teshaieva, one of the directors behind the documentary film "When spring came to Bucha" which is shown at the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Teshaieva originates from Ukraine but currently lives in Berlin.
The documentary's second director, Marcus Lenz, also lives there.
In April, when Butja was declared free, they packed a car with camera equipment and drove there.
- Several people we meet in this film have spent 35 days in hiding.
They have seen murder and lost family members, witnessed war crimes.
In some way, we were able to support them in telling their story to the world, says Lenz.
A story of hope
In "When spring came to Bucha", Teshaieva and Lenz meet volunteers who do everything from identifying the dead, documenting evidence of war crimes, restoring houses and even mowing lawns.
Some of them sing, play guitar and get married.
- I think that those who survived were quite shocked but also happy in some way that they were actually able to survive, says Teshaieva and continues:
- It makes me proud of human ability.
Life catches death by surprise and shows the perseverance of Ukrainians.
To not let the darkness drown you.
Hear Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz talk about the documentary film "When spring came to Bucha" in the clip above.