VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIAL FOR UKRAINE

From the very first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I dedicated all my energy to supporting war-affected populations, setting aside my personal concerns to seek out and implement concrete humanitarian aid solutions.

I took part in the evacuation of more than 4,000 civilians, organizing their transportation to Germany and France with the support of FlixBus Romania, a company I contacted on the very first day of the invasion in my capacity as a filmmaker and volunteer.

I coordinated up to three buses per day and organized logistics for evacuees from Sighet, Siret, and Isaccea.

As part of these operations, I worked directly with Romanian authorities, in particular with the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) and the bodies responsible for border surveillance and management.

I facilitated the delivery of two ambulances to Ukraine and actively participated in identifying urgent needs, preparing equipment lists, and mobilizing resources from civil society.

I was also able to mobilize significant financial donations, intended notably for the ISU and the Red Cross, thanks to the generosity of private donors.

Together with Mayor Adrian Popoiu, I participated in designing and implementing lighting solutions for the Siret refugee camps in order to meet immediate needs on the ground.

At the same time, I organized and delivered humanitarian aid directly into Ukraine. I contributed to the collection and coordination of 20-ton trucks of humanitarian supplies, which I personally escorted or whose delivery I coordinated to children and communities particularly hard-hit by the war.

These actions were carried out with the support and collaboration of organizations and associations such as Anaid, Core, Blood for Romania, Părinți Salvatori, Mantachie Foundation, Vias International, Agir Ensemble pour l’Ukraine, Johanniter Mission Siret.

I also coordinated the arrival of donations from several European countries through FlixBus Romania and their transport into Ukraine, working with trusted volunteers, notably Vasile Vlașin and Eduard Axente, at the Romanian border crossing points of Sighet and Isaccea.

Throughout these operations, I received exceptional support from several individuals, in particular Ambassador Valentin Muntean and Consul Andrei Sîrbulescu, whose presence and advice were vital, especially when humanitarian trucks were entering dangerous areas exposed to the threat of mines and hostilities.

THREE YEARS OF PRESENCE IN UKRAINE

My commitment was not limited to the border.

For three years now, whenever administrative conditions and my visa allow, I stay for periods of up to three months in Ukraine, particularly in Pavlohrad, in order to remain as close as possible to the people I help and to directly coordinate humanitarian operations.

After each period spent in Ukraine, I return to France, and then I travel back to Ukraine every six months to continue this aid for children, the elderly, and families who remain in regions near the front line and who have access to less and less support.

This regular presence has allowed me to build lasting human connections with local populations and to understand their needs beyond the immediate emergency.

For me, humanitarian aid cannot simply amount to sending packages from a distance.

It means being present, knowing the people, understanding their needs, coming back to them, and staying by their side when aid becomes the hardest to deliver.

CHILDREN: EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND PROTECTION

An essential part of my commitment now involves ensuring that children and elderly people living near the front line have access to basic conditions of education, health, and safety.

Among the projects I wish to develop is the implementation of solutions that allow the evacuation of children to schools located in safer areas, so they can continue their education despite the war.

I also wish to help organize access to medical care and healthcare support for children and the elderly remaining in areas close to the front line.

These actions are part of a long-term vision: allowing children to continue learning, families to stay together, and the elderly not to be abandoned in the most vulnerable territories.

ARTISTS IN WAR

My humanitarian commitment also extends to artists who continue to create in areas affected by the war.

I am working to develop collaborations with Ukrainian, Moldovan, and international artists present in these territories to help them pursue their work despite extremely difficult conditions.

This notably involves supporting artists working in:

• music;

• cinema;

• theatre;

• photography;

• visual arts and other forms of contemporary creation.

For me, supporting an artist during wartime also means protecting a memory, an identity, and a voice.

Artistic creation enables a society to continue telling its story even when its structures are undermined.

CINEMA ON THE FRONTLINE OF WAR

My work as a filmmaker developed alongside my humanitarian commitment.

At the Romanian-Ukrainian border, I directed the short film Edges, a work situated on the boundary between fiction and documentary, shot in the context of the war.

The film is a unique cinematic experience, in which the geographical border also becomes a cinematic border: between fiction and reality, between staging and testimony, between what is depicted and what is lived.

Edges brings together the same cast and primary artistic team who will subsequently participate in the feature film project Bridges, thus creating an artistic and human continuity between the two works.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION - IN MEMORY OF IURI KHOLORODYROV

Among the cultural projects I also wish to develop is a photographic exhibition in memory of cinematographer Iuri Kholorodyrov, to preserve and convey his perspective, his work, and the memory of those who dedicated their lives to creation at the heart of this historic period.

This exhibition aims to transform images into a space of memory, encounter, and dialogue between Ukraine and Europe.

A FESTIVAL IN UKRAINE

In the longer term, I also wish to contribute to organizing a cultural and film festival in Ukraine, bringing together Ukrainian and international filmmakers, artists, musicians, actors, and creators.

The purpose of this festival would be to make culture a space of reconstruction, dialogue, and solidarity.

It would allow artists who continued to work during the war to present their works and connect with European professionals.

CINEMA AS TESTIMONY

Beyond my work on the ground, I represented the cause of Ukraine at the Cannes Film Festival, participating as a filmmaker and volunteer for war victims within the framework of the Stand for Ukraine initiative.

In Cannes, I shared with the international film community Romania’s message of solidarity and the unwavering support provided by Romanian citizens, volunteers, and institutions to war victims.

I am an internationally award-winning director for my short fiction and documentary works. I have also served as Deputy Director of the Sibiu Centenary Celebrations and as Coordinator of the Cadets of the Land Forces Academy of Sibiu in 2018.

Today, my humanitarian commitment and my cinematic work are inseparable.

I continue to travel between France and Ukraine to deliver aid, support the populations who remain in areas close to the front line, and document their daily lives.

The children who continue to grow up under bombardment.

The elderly who refuse to leave their homes.

The families who continue to work, study, plant, and rebuild.

The artists who continue to create despite the war.

I return to Ukraine because they are still there.

And I film because their stories must not disappear.

ALEXANDRA-ROBERTA ȘERBAN

Film Director · Founder · Volunteer for Ukraine
Mission 7 Cinema