Wiltshire Music Centre
1 Nov 2026
Reflections on an event to remember
“With support from donors and attendees, we managed to break even, which gives us a solid base to build from. This was the final chapter of the ‘Within and Beyond’ series, which began in June 2025 as part of Refugee Week, continued with a London event that November, and concluded in Bradford on Avon on 1 November 2026. While we were unable to raise enough funds for generators, we still achieved our most important goal of bringing awareness to the war and fostering community.”
– Zhenya Shkil, Chair, Friends of Oleksandriya
Ukraine: Within and Beyond was a spectacular event, with a programme featuring five independent documentaries alongside a London piano quintet let by Illia Bondarenko which performed between films to create space to reflect.
We were honoured to welcome several filmmakers and contributors:
Justin Gluck, together with his family, presented ‘Adamchyk,’ - a thoughtful presentation which helped us learn, reflect, and honour those lost.
Anna Korzhova, an 18 year old refugee from Oleksandriya, presented a film which spoke about displacement, survival, and those who should never be reduced to statistics.
“A Woman’s War” 3D project, created by composer Kornelia Nemcova and director Natalia Stojkova, shared eleven stories of women who fled the war.
A film about farmers at the front, produced by Caolan Robertson, highlighted the dangers faced by people simply trying to grow food.
Mariia Kushch presented the final film, ‘Children’s Voices,’ attending with her husband and son. The film moves from early memories of escape and loss to hope, as children speak about their dreams for the future.
We also used the occasion to display five icons painted on ammunition boxes, recently shown at the Houses of Parliament, enabling visitors to reflect on the transformation of objects once used for violence into art that promotes peace.
One of our core aims is to support and promote culture and the work of refugees. This concert was an act of unity and support which did exactly that, across film, music, craft, food and community.