A meditative, sound saturated journey across an injured land, on which beauty and destruction coexists. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy not only for the people – the war has carved traces of violence onto the land, and has affected every living creature. Idyllic nature scenes stand in harsh contrast to haunting ash-covered forests, bombed fields and rusted skeletal remains of armoured vehicles. But even here the cycle of nature cannot be stopped: through changing seasons and from scorched earth new blades of grass arise.

In hard times it’s important to see those who don’t remain on the side-lines: quietly and deliberately, bomb disposal technicians, human remains searchers, environmentalists and animal rescue teams travel through the film. Regeneration is happening – slowly, persistently. Without dialogue and commentary, Divia resonates like a metaphysical symphony in which the land and living things bear witness to the destruction and renewal.

Film without dialogue.

It is estimated that Ukraine is currently the most mined region in the world. Since Russia’s full-scale attack, a fourth of the country’s territory is considered affected, and de-mining will take several decades. The danger posed by explosives affects rural existence – farming, human and animal daily life, for example, the ability to pick berries or mushrooms in the forest. In an attempt to find uses for the mined lands, beehives have been set up in some places.