SECOND WIND / ДРУГЕ ДИХАННЯ

Leonid Nefedovich
Sep 23
2 min read

2025 / 80' / documentary / Ukraine

Second Wind is a documentary film about five Ukrainian soldiers, four of whom are amputees. Wounded by war but full of hope, they conquer Kilimanjaro to prove that life with prosthetics can be full, active, and inspiring. The film breaks stereotypes, offers a new perspective on veterans, and shows Ukraine as a strong and unbreakable country. The film documents not only the physical journey to the highest point in Africa, but also the inner changes of the heroes: overcoming pain, rethinking the experience of war, and finding strength in mutual support. This is a story about team spirit, mutual support, and rethinking life after the hardest trials.

Screenings schedule:

September 30, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the Oscar Cinema, Venice Hall

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DIRECTOR - MASHA KONDAKOVA

Biography

Born in Kyiv, actress and filmmaker Masha Kondakova holds a Master’s degree in Screenwriting, Production, and Directing from Sorbonne Paris 1. Her first short, Lystopad (Fallen Leaves, 2014), was selected at more than 70 international festivals and received 14 awards. When the war broke out in Eastern Ukraine, she began shooting Inner Wars, spending three years on the front line following the lives of three women soldiers; the film was distributed in ten countries, including France (ARTE), Germany (ZDF), and Poland (Canal+). In 2023, moved by the devastation in the de-occupied zone around Kyiv, she raised funds in France and directed her second short, Blueberry Summer, which screened at numerous festivals, won nine awards, and was broadcast on France 3 and TV5 Monde. She developed her first feature, Warrior, at the So Film Genre residencies and the Torino Script Lab, where she received a co-production award. Also, an actress, she appeared in Mia Hansen-Løve’s One Fine Morning (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes 2022).