Recovery Room depicts resilience and compassion in time of war
When Adriana Luhovy, BA (comm. studies) 10, was asked by a friend to accompany her to Ukraine in 2014 to take pictures of wounded soldiers and the Canadian volunteer doctors and nurses trying to save them, she had no idea she would be leaving the country with an award-winning documentary to her name. Yet that’s what happened.
Recovery Room, the 75-minute feature documentary film directed by Luhovy, tells the story of several humanitarian medical missions organized by the Canada Ukraine Foundation (CUF) in 2014 and 2015, following the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine. The film is also edited by her father, Yurij Luhovy, BA 73, who studied at Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s founding institutions.
Adriana Luhovy at the Main Military hospital, preparing to enter the operating room to film Recovery Room.
Over the past year, Recovery Room has earned several honours, including from the Accolade Global Film Competition, Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards and IndieFEST Film Awards.
Luhovy will receive a One Woman Fearless Award at the Fearless Women’s Summit at Concordia on April 21, 2018. She talks about her film from Toronto, where she recently moved.
What did you study at Concordia, and are there any particular courses or professors that especially helped you?
Adriana Luhovy: “I studied in the communication studies program, and I chose it largely because of the production courses. That’s what made it an easy choice for me, and made it stand out.”
I remember Chris Crilly [BA 72] from sound production; he was great. Kamel Khalifa [BA 97, MA 99], who was a teacher’s assistant, was really kind too. All the student groups made a huge difference in my life, and I was active in the Ukrainian student group (CUSU). The more you get involved, the better it is.”
When you enrolled, did you know what you wanted to do after you graduated?
AL: “I was influenced early on because my father is a documentary filmmaker. I was lucky because he would take me on shoots while I was still in university. One of the big projects that I worked on for him was pretty last minute, when his camera operator couldn’t make it. I got to take all of the production skills I was learning in school and apply them right away.”
What did you do after you graduated?
AL: “I went on to study at Vancouver Film School, where I did a digital design program. It wasn’t really centered on production but I learned a lot about Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, print design, web design, motion graphics and branding. I then completed a program in New York City at the School of Visual Arts, Impact! Design for Social Change.
How did you decide on making Recovery Room?
AL: “I had been volunteering with orphaned children in Ukraine with a Toronto charity called Help Us Help The Children (HUHTC). One of the Ukrainian volunteers I worked with died during the revolution and some of children ended up in conflict zones and the occupied territory of Crimea. It was very traumatic for me, and I wanted to do more to help.
I ended up getting a job in New York City at a human rights organization called Advancing Human Rights. But knew I wanted to be in Ukraine, helping my friends and family not just through words but also through action.
I jumped at the chance when I was invited by a friend to join the CUF medical missions as a photographer. As soon as I got to the Main Military Hospital in Kyiv, I realized my photography wasn’t going to do justice to what I was witnessing; it was shocking. Because of my production experience, I felt like I could do more by filming, as it was a better way to expose the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine, which receives very little media coverage, and the care and compassion of the Canadian medical teams helping the wounded.”
How does it feel having your work recognized and winning awards?
AL: “I’m just so grateful that the story is getting out; what the people and country are going through is being heard and seen. I’ve heard that the film inspires people to action, to want to help others, either in Ukraine or in different crisis situations around the world. I think it gives hope to the soldiers who have been wounded to get better as well.”
Recovery Room will be screened at 6 p.m. on April 23, 2018, at the John Molson Amphitheatre, John Molson Building, room 1.120, 1450 Guy St.
The Fearless Women’s Summit takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 21, 2018, at the F.C. Smith Auditorium, Loyola Campus, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W.