INNENLAND: Film, Photography and Voices from Ukraine’s Frontline Regions in Vienna
On 24 September 2026, AtelierTheater Vienna presented the interdisciplinary project INNENLAND, exploring the lived realities of civilians and soldiers in Ukraine’s frontline regions.
The project brought together three interconnected artistic formats: an exhibition of documentary photography by Ukrainian filmmaker and photographer Borys Maliuha, a screening of his documentary short film “THE FELLAS” (Ukrainian: “PATSYKY”), and a bilingual Ukrainian-German reading of documentary texts in collaboration with Austrian writer and war reporter Robert Prosser.
“THE FELLAS / PATSYKY” focuses on the personal experiences of people whose everyday lives are directly shaped by war. Through his documentary approach, Borys Maliuha turns to individual human stories, offering a perspective beyond abstract figures and the daily news cycle. Following the screening, the audience had an opportunity to continue the conversation with the filmmaker and other participants in the project.
Borys Maliuha is a Ukrainian filmmaker and photographer from Kyiv. Within INNENLAND, he works across photography, documentary film and text, creating a multi-layered testimony to the realities of people living through war.
Another important part of the evening was the bilingual Ukrainian-German reading of documentary texts in collaboration with Robert Prosser. By combining photography, film and literature, INNENLAND offered the Vienna audience an opportunity to encounter the war through individual perspectives and reflect on both its personal and societal consequences.
The Austrian Cooperation Office Lviv supported Borys Maliuha’s participation in the project by covering his travel and accommodation costs in Vienna. For us, supporting the direct presence of Ukrainian artists in Austria is particularly important, as it creates spaces for dialogue in which Ukrainian experiences can be communicated through their own voices.
INNENLAND was organised by AtelierTheater together with Stadt Wien, WieNeu+ and UMIZ Europa. The project also involved Georg Hartmann, Stasi Garus and Natalia Senchuk.
If you missed the opening, there is still time to discover the project: Borys Maliuha’s documentary photography exhibition remains on view until 31 October 2026.
The pictures weve rpovided by the organisers.
