How Ukrainian schools keep running despite the war

At first look, this could be any group of young schoolchildren learning English as a second language. They repeat together the names of the different everyday objects shown on a screen: "ball!"; "doll!"

But then the teacher adds an extra task: The children are to yell out the word "danger" every time they recognize a picture of a toy that's been booby-trapped with a bomb or a mine.

It's more than a game: To harm Ukrainians, Russian soldiers have been found to hide munitions rigged to explode upon discovery in a wide range of random objects, including in children's toys.

This is just one scene from the documentary "Timestamp" (original title: "Strichka chasu"), which portrays the different ways schools have kept running in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. It was the only documentary featured in the Berlin International Film Festival's 2025 main competition. 

An observational documentary on the impact of war

Depicting the impact of war without showing a single image of the conflict, director Kateryna Gornostai also avoids narration, talking heads or any other form of commentary in her work.

Instead, the documentary filmmaker offers a mosaic of scenes from different elementary and high school classrooms across Ukraine. On-screen captions identify their geographical position, and their distance from the frontline.

The scenes alternate between classes held in different types of locations, whether online or in subway stations. One school's gym has been bombed, but the rest of the building is used normally. In other cases, the schools are still intact, but air raid sirens regularly interrupt lessons. Once everyone has reached the shelters, teachers enthusiastically continue their classes.

An art teacher inspires children to see beauty even during the most difficult times; the history teacher's lesson on authoritarianism spotlights models of Ukrainian resistance.

And beyond the regular curriculum, these kids learn CPR, how to pilot a drone and how to handle firearms. They are also taught how to use a tourniquet properly. It is explained that one essential element of this device when stopping an injured person's blood flow is its timestamp — which marks the moment it was applied.

Giving the film its title, the term is also a reference to the fact that "Timestamp" intimately captures a unique moment in the lives of these young people.

"I thought: it's so cool that we managed to document this piece of reality, that they will have a movie where they are captured in a specific time, and such a significant one," said Kateryna Gornostai in her director's statement.

Filming started in April 2023 and finished in June 2024. The documentary's narrative arc roughly follows a school year, concluding with different graduation ceremonies. 

In one school, the graduating teenagers perform for their relatives a dance routine they have been practicing over the past few months. Meanwhile, in the city of Bakhmut — one of the epicenters of fighting since the beginning of the war — the graduates hold an online celebration to mark the end of their schooling.

The valedictorian makes a moving speech for hope; but beyond her words, the girl's tears after the bitter-sweet ceremony ends more clearly express the mental toll of living in a war zone.

Russia's targeted destruction of schools

There have been 12,605 civilians killed during the three years of Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine, according to a recent United Nations Human Rights report published on February 11.

The same report states that 343 educational facilities have been destroyed since February 24, 2022, while 1,319 have been damaged.

The film's executive producer, Zoya Lytvyn, who is also the founder and head of Osvitoria, a non-profit organization that promotes the development and reform of education in Ukraine, explained at the Berlinale that roughly one third of the schools are currently running physically.

Another third are only functioning online, as they are not allowed to operate since they don't have bomb shelters or are too near the frontline. The last third of the country's educational facilities use a hybrid solution of remote and in-person learning.

"Timestamp" is a tribute to the resilience of Ukraine's society and teaching staff, say the filmmakers: "Learning now is so much more than just about knowledge. It's about preserving childhood, creating safe spaces where kids still can connect with their peers. And I would say the role of the teacher is crucial. If a teacher is courageous, then kids can feel safe and still have hope," said producer Zoya Lytvyn at the Berlinale press conference.

Meanwhile, the filmmaker herself gave birth two days before the premiere of the documentary in Berlin — more proof that, despite the three years of war and her work on the field documenting its impact, she and many other Ukrainians still have hope for the future.

Edited by: Stuart Braun