A year after russian occupation of eastern Ukraine a container camp was built as a temporary solution for about 300 internally displaced persons.
It is located on the outskirts of Kharkiv near the airport on the site of a former landfill. Each container unit in the settlement is a tiny home for one
family. The centre was designed for a six-month stay. It was assumed that during this time hostilities would cease and people fleeing the war can
return home but soon it becomes clear that the war is here to stay.
In the summer 2019 local authorities announce a decision to close the camp. Elderly residents should move to a nursing home, people with
disabilities to boarding schools. The rest have to find a new place or go back to the combat zone. In fear to end up on the street, a few families
come together and decide to take the plunge – meet the newly elected president, who arrives with a short visit to the city. They prepare a poster
and find out the route of the presidential motorcade. One activist manages to break through and ask for help. The president writes down the
phone number and promises to solve the problem in a month. Months pass by but there is no callback.
In my camera-bound research, I encounter four families who go through refugeedom and loss trying to find a new place in a turbulent changing
life. Each of them will choose a different way.