Round 27: VOICES FROM UKRAINE
All ticket sales will go to Repower NGO, a Ukrainian organisation that provides psychological and recovery support for medics and volunteers.
Anastasiia Lapko
Anastasiia is a Ukrainian director and producer with a multidisciplinary background in pre-production, film organization, editing, sound design, scriptwriting, and camera work. Her projects often explore themes of mental health, emotional vulnerability, and the complexity of human connection.
With over 20 years of experience as a dancer and choreographer, she brings a deeply embodied sense of rhythm, movement, and emotional timing to everything she creates — both in front of and behind the camera.
Born in Ukraine and currently based in Ireland, her creative voice is shaped by displacement, resistance, and the ongoing war. The context of war is never absent from her work — it informs her aesthetics, her silence, her choices, and the urgency
to create.
Anastasiia also works as an actress, focusing on inner states, intimacy with the camera, and subtle transformation.
Whether it’s a music video, a short film, or a socially driven piece, she aims to create work that resonates — emotionally, visually, and truthfully. She is open to new collaborations and creative experiments.
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Dana Kotenko
Dana is a Ukrainian actor and filmmaker based in Ireland. Originally from Kyiv, she has spent over three years in Ireland developing her work in film through a degree in Film and Screen Media at University College Cork, alongside acting training with Darren Kelleher at ActorsVision and further study with Jon Witty.
While her practice spans filmmaking, production, and movement, Dana considers acting the core of her artistic identity. Her background in dance and movement informs her sensitivity to physical detail and emotional nuance, shaping the way she approaches both performance and visual storytelling.
Her creative interests include explorations of female and queer identity, LGBTQ representation, and the emotional and psychological dimensions of character. Working across documentaries, music videos, and narrative short films, including projects showcased at the Fastnet Film Festival, she remains committed to developing her voice as both an actor and a filmmaker. She is open to collaborative, exploratory projects with visual and performing artists, with a particular focus on performance work that values creativity and shared vision.
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Olha-Lelya Matso
Olha Matso is a Ukrainian poet and actor living in Ireland. Awarded the Scholarship of the President of Ukraine for young writers 2021, highly commended poet of Cobh readers and writers International Poetry Competition 2023. Poet of the Poetry Ireland Introductions 2023.
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Yelyzaveta Zvarych
Yelyzaveta is an Ukrainian filmmaker based in Ireland. She has completed NUIG this year. Yelyzaveta works in the film industry mainly focusing on short films. She aims to explore themes of displacement, cultural identity, and express socio-political critique through her work. A particular focus on performance work that values creativity and shared vision.
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