Liubov Durakova

Born in Kharkiv/Ukraine in 1986.

In recent years, Liubov Durakova has been based in Kharkiv and Uzhhorod/Ukraine, in the east and west regions of the country.

She studied documentary filmmaking at the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Karyi University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, Kyiv/Ukraine (2010‒2015). In 2015, Durakova was awarded the Gaude Polonia Scholarship and studied documentary directing as part of the Doc Pro (documentary film programme) at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw/Poland. Durakova’s main feature documentary Alisa in Warland (2015) won several awards and was screened at over 40 festivals. Durakova also contributed photo and video material to the documentary performance Children and Soldiers, which was directed by Georg Genoux and premiered at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin/Germany. In 2018, Durakova worked as a director and cinematographer on four episodes of a documentary series about women’s football.

She participated in Berlinale Talents, Berlin/Germany (2017), the Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Jerewan/Armenia (2019), and the Vilnius International Film Festival, Lithuania (2019).

Durakova received an individual grant to develop a feature film script in 2021, as well as a mini-grant to open the experimental photo gallery Malo Mesta art gallery, Uzhhorod, where she has organized three photo exhibitions to date.