The Rippling Silence

Dariia (protagonist)

Dariia is the Ukrainian protagonist of The Rippling Silence. An artist from the Kyiv region, she survived the Russian occupation in 2022 and turned her pain into art: her collages and paintings have become the basis of an exhibition. After taking part in a rehabilitation programme, she now speaks at events on women’s rights and war crimes so that more women can access the same care. Every donation on this page goes to that programme.

Liudmyla Huseinova (impact partner, human rights activist)

Liudmyla Huseinova is a Ukrainian human rights activist and partner the film. She survived three years of Russian captivity in Donetsk (2019–2022). In 2024, she founded Numo, Sisters!, an NGO advocating for the rights of women in captivity and in occupied territories, which runs the rehabilitation retreats supported on this page. She speaks regularly on international platforms about the impact of conflict-related sexual violence.

Tetiana Hanzha (co-director and co-producer)

Tetiana Hanzha is a Ukrainian documentary director based in Kyiv, and the author of the idea, co-director, and co-producer of The Rippling Silence. She studied literature at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and trained in documentary filmmaking in Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. Her debut film Bouquinistes (DocEdu Foundation, TVP, 2023) premiered at the Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival.

Zoia Volk (co-director and co-producer)

Zoia Volk is a Ukrainian-German director, producer, and multimedia artist based in Stuttgart, co-director and producer of The Rippling Silence. Before film, she worked as a journalist and theatre director. In 2021, she co-founded the production company ZOVA Films with Valentina Boye. She is a member of the German Film Academy.

Iryna Shostak (impact producer)

Iryna Shostak is the impact producer of The Rippling Silence, leading the strategy and partnerships of its impact campaign and overseeing its implementation. A Ukrainian communications strategist with a background in sociology, she is a co-founder of Linza Agency and the Museum of Stolen Art. She has led advocacy and impact campaigns on gender equality, war-related trauma and access to justice with IWPR, UNDP, La Strada Ukraine, among others. She is a member of the Ukrainian Non-Fiction Film Association.

Каteryna Teslenko (impact manager)

Kateryna Gongalo is an Impact Project Manager. A Ukrainian project manager and former servicewoman experienced in international assistance programmes. Following russia’s full-scale invasion, she founded and led a nationwide psychological support hotline for people affected by the war. As Impact Project Manager of The Rippling Silence, she coordinates partnerships and oversees the implementation of the film’s impact campaign.