Event Date: November 3, 2026 - 4:30pm to 7:00pm
Location: FSS 4004, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Registration: Google Forms

Presented by CIPS, the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security and the Ukrainian Women’s Fund

We invite you to a special evening of film and conversation addressing the ongoing use of conflict-related sexual violence and torture in Russia’s war against Ukraine — and the women who have transformed their lived experience into a fight for justice.

TRACES tells the stories of six Ukrainian women who survived conflict-related sexual violence, captivity and torture during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine — and who refuse to remain silent.

Moving beyond narratives of victimhood, TRACES is a film about courage, agency and solidarity. It follows women who have transformed testimony into action — becoming human rights defenders, advocates and leaders, supporting other survivors and challenging the silence and stigma surrounding conflict-related sexual violence.

Their stories raise urgent questions that extend far beyond Ukraine: How can survivors’ testimonies contribute to justice? How do we ensure that survivors are not only heard, but meaningfully included in shaping the policies and decisions that affect them? And how can the international community turn solidarity into concrete support for accountability and survivor-centred justice?

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Alisa Kovalenko, bringing together the perspectives of filmmaker, survivor, human rights advocate and survivor-led civil society.

Speaker:

ALISA KOVALENKO  – Award-winning Ukrainian documentary filmmaker, human rights advocate, and member of SEMA Ukraine and the global SEMA network (Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence)

A survivor of captivity and violence resulting from Russian aggression, Alisa has advocated for the rights of survivors for many years, working to challenge stigma, strengthen survivor-centred approaches, and advance access to support, justice, and recovery.

Alisa is the writer and director of the documentary film Traces, which grew out of her personal experience and years of work within the survivor community. The film follows Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence and torture committed by Russian forces and who transformed their experiences into solidarity, advocacy, and resistance. Through Traces, Alisa brings their voices to international audiences and uses documentary filmmaking as a tool for recognition, justice, and change. In September 2026, Traces was selected by the Ukrainian Oscar Committee as Ukraine’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards.

Programme

• 4:30pm – 4:40pm: Opening remarks and welcome 
• 4:40pm – 6:05pm: Film screening
• 6:05pm – 6:30pm: Q&A with the documentary film-maker, Alisa Kovalenko
• 6:30pm – 6:35pm: Closing remarks
• 6:35pm – 7:00pm: Small reception and informal discussions over refreshments

About the film

TRACES tells the stories of six Ukrainian women who survived conflict-related sexual violence, captivity and torture during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine — and who refuse to remain silent.

The film follows human rights activist Iryna Dovhan as she travels through de-occupied territories of Ukraine, meeting women whose lives have been profoundly marked by violence and documenting crimes that remain among the most hidden consequences of war.

Moving beyond narratives of victimhood, TRACES is a film about courage, agency and solidarity. It follows women who transform testimony into action — becoming human rights defenders, advocates and leaders, supporting other survivors and challenging the stigma and silence surrounding conflict-related sexual violence.

Through Dovhan’s journey, individual experiences of trauma gradually become a “circle of courage”, where solidarity and shared determination turn testimony into a powerful force for truth and justice.

At its heart, TRACES asks how survivors can move from being seen only as victims or witnesses of crimes to becoming active participants in shaping justice and peacebuilding — and how the international community can transform solidarity into meaningful support for accountability and survivor-centred justice.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

TRACES had its world premiere at the 2026 Berlinale – Panorama Dokumente, where it received the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary, becoming the first Ukrainian film in Berlinale history to receive this distinction.

The film is Ukraine’s Official Submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards and is also eligible for consideration for Best Documentary Feature, following its Grand Jury Documentary Competition Award at Movies That Matter in The Hague.

At Millennium Docs Against Gravity in Poland, TRACES received the Smakjam Award for Best Production and a Special Mention for Best Film in the Polish Competition. It was also named among the Top 20 Audience Favourites at Hot Docs in Toronto and has screened throughout 2026 at leading documentary and human rights festivals across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

TRACES is also at the heart of an international survivor-led impact campaign, using the film as a platform to amplify survivors’ voices and leadership and advocate for recognition, survivor-centred justice, accountability, and survivors’ meaningful participation in shaping justice and peacebuilding.

The campaign seeks to bring survivors into the rooms where decisions are made — connecting their lived experience with policymakers, diplomats, human rights organisations, researchers, journalists, cultural institutions and Women, Peace and Security stakeholders.