Meet Mariia Shevchenko and Ella Shtyka, two of our Fellows. In June, they joined the cohort of the No Nation Film’s Fellowship, after concluding the ExOriente workshop and pitching at East Doc Platform in March 2024. 
Mariia and Ella are the director and the producer of ‘Keepers of the Ruins’, a feature-length documentary film on the resistance of people in Kharkiv, under constant threat since the war in Ukraine started. 

Mariia Shevchenko is a journalist and documentary filmmaker who, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, has been documenting the war, capturing stories of soldiers, volunteers and civilians. 
Ella Shtyka is a documentary film producer, culture manager and educator. She manages and curates Indie Lab. Documentary to support young Ukranian artists.

Their project has won the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Pitch award in Poland and the Fine Cut Award of Institute of Documentary Film (Czech Republic). Moreover, Mariia has been awarded the Gaude Polonia scholarship in Poland.

Looking forward to seeing this important film!