This documentary short film series by Parker Watt examines how art serves as a mode of healing, integration, and cultural continuation among Ukrainian artists in Estonia. Each artist or artistic group featured in the following 11 short films serves a vital role in the creation, preservation, and visibility of Ukrainian culture abroad. In this site, you can watch the series together as a full film or discover each artist’s story individually.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine, Estonia has been a leader in providing refuge to the Ukrainian people. At the start of the war, Estonia accepted the most Ukrainians per capita out of any country in the world, and it remains among the top three behind Czechia and Poland. There are now around 60,000 Ukrainians in Estonia, equal to about 4.4% of the population. Approximately three-quarters of these Ukrainians have arrived since 2022. These individuals must negotiate how to maintain their own cultural identity while integrating and building new lives abroad.

Ukrainian artists serve a critical role in cultural preservation among their community in Estonia. Their work draws on traditions from the past, reflects their experience in the present, and defines what Ukrainian culture is for the future as their homeland is under attack. As they establish themselves, their work creates spaces for healing and helps them to connect with Estonian people and culture— art is a mode of healing, integration, and cultural continuation.

Parker Watt moved to Estonia for a year with his camera, a light, and a film setup that could fit on his back in attempt to portray the power of art in the Ukrainian community living there. The result is the following series of 11 short films, each focusing on an individual Ukrainian artist or artistic group in which they tell their stories through their own words. These are the people who have chosen resilience in the face of horrendous events.

This project began in 2023 when Parker Watt was on an internship at the University of Tartu in Estonia through Stanford University. While working at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies and the University of Tartu Ukraine Center, he encountered the stories of Ukrainians who had fled to Estonia as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion. After further discussions with members of the Ukrainian cultural center in Tartu, Ukraina Maja, he recognized how important cultural preservation and expression are to Ukraine’s survival, both domestically and abroad.

Art serves a particular role in this cultural expression, as artists can draw upon tradition and history, articulate their present experience, and create a cultural future through their work. Understanding artists’ importance, Parker wanted to create a film series that highlights the stories of Ukrainian artists in Estonia and shows how their experiences reflect those of the broader Ukrainian community living there. Drawing upon his previous experience in the film industry, Parker then applied for the U.S. Fulbright Student Research Grant.