The documentary project "Generation of freedom"

"Generation of freedom" — the first Ukrainian documentary historical 3D film by Ivan Kanivets, dedicated to the Ukrainian War of Independence of 1917–1921. Production of the project began in 2015 and grew into a large-scale, multi-year initiative that combines cinema, historical research, and modern technologies.

This is an innovative multi-episode film project with additional thematic films, built on memoirs of the stories of participants in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence at the beginning of the 20th century. The films bring to life figures of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Hetmanate of Pavlo Skoropadskyi, and the Directorate, as well as Ukrainian soldiers, sailors, Free Cossacks, and civilians who became the creators of Ukrainian statehood.

The visual foundation of the project consists of restored authentic film footage and unique photographs from 1917–1921, adapted into a 3D format. This approach makes it possible to bring historical events as close as possible to the modern viewer and to create a powerful sense of deep immersion in the era of the liberation struggle.

A key component of the project is a trilogy of documentary 3D films that consistently illuminate the stages of Ukrainian state-building: the period of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Hetmanate, and the Directorate. The history is presented through personal testimonies, making the narrative vivid, emotional, and compelling.

In addition to the main trilogy, the project includes a number of films in various formats that explore individual landmark episodes of Ukrainian history. Among them are films about the raising of Ukrainian flags in Sevastopol, the Battle of Kruty, as well as works dedicated to unique Ukrainian film chronicles of the early 20th century and other little-known but extremely important events.

"Generation of freedom" is a combination of historical authenticity, cutting-edge technologies, and deep respect for Ukraine’s struggle for independence.

"Generation of freedom" is not only a film about the past. It is the story of a generation that fought for Ukraine’s freedom and inspired those who followed to continue this struggle.

The first teaser of the documentary project "Generation of freedom".

We are publishing the first teaser of the documentary project "Generation of freedom". For the first time, the liberation struggle in 3D!

There are several ways to view 3D at home:

Anaglyph (red and blue glasses are required for viewing):

Vertical split (requires a modern 3D TV or monitor and appropriate glasses):

Horizontal split (requires a modern 3D TV or monitor and appropriate glasses or virtual reality devices):

For those who are unable to view 3D, we publish a regular version of the teaser. But watching it, you lose the most interesting thing - the sense of volume:

Restoration of Film Footage

A key feature of the project is the large-scale restoration of original film footage shot between 1917 and 1921. The authentic newsreels are carefully restored and adapted for modern viewing, including conversion to a 3D format. This allows viewers not only to see history, but to literally immerse themselves in it—feeling the atmosphere of the era and coming closer to events that took place a century ago.

On November 26, 2024, a presentation of the restored 1917 film “The Ukrainian Movement” took place in the Blue Hall of the House of Cinema in Kyiv. This film is a unique visual testimony of the era of the Ukrainian Central Rada. Thanks to modern 4K scanning, digital restoration, and the use of AI technologies, it was possible to recover severely damaged frames and restore image clarity while preserving historical authenticity. The event brought together archivists, historians, filmmakers, and cultural heritage enthusiasts, highlighting the importance of preserving Ukraine’s visual memory. The restored film is now available online, allowing a wide audience to engage with living history and see past events in a new quality.

The film is accompanied by commentary from Ivan Kanivets, which helps viewers better understand the historical context and significance of the footage.

The result of this eight-year effort can be found on the website of the Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archive or here:

On December 14, 2025, another presentation of restored historical material took place in the Blue Hall of the House of Cinema in Kyiv—fragments of the restored film “Documents of the Epoch” (1928), which was restored by Ivan Kanivets. “Documents of the Era” is currently the only known source of unique film footage featuring Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, Chairman of the Directorate Symon Petliura, and Commander of the Siege Corps of the Sich Riflemen, Yevhen Konovalets.

You can watch the video on our YouTube channel kilok.art, as well as on the official archive website:

Publication of the Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archive of Ukraine

We continue to work on restoring additional films from the period 1917–1920.

“Generation of Freedom”: quotations from memoirs

The Generation of Freedom project aims to comprehensively present the events of the First Ukrainian War of Independence of 1917–1921 through the memoirs of their direct participants. Work on the memoir materials began in late 2015.

The body of memoirs collected over just a few months—covering only the years 1917–1918—alone merits hours of screen time. Among the authors whose texts were included in the script are:

and many others.

A whole generation of people who fought for the freedom of Ukraine in the first half of the twentieth century described to us the history of Ukraine's revival, the social and political mechanisms of the formation of Ukrainian statehood, the history of the formation of the army, its defeats and victories, social processes in the country, and the fates of people who led others.

Here are examples of compelling excerpts from memoirs— not all of which will appear in the film, but all of which are worth reading: