WAR DREAMS by Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni

What do you see when you close your eyes?
A simple question was asked to a group of Ukrainian soldiers of a military base near Donetsk, prior their departure for the front line of the war. A polaroid was taken and their visions and dreams individually annotated on a diary. A photo portrait shot on the backdrop of a inner panorama of emotions, ranging from simple hopes, fears and wishes, to philosophical considerations. Farewell from people undertaking a life threatening journey to war while seeking for their ideal of peace.
With this work we are searching for a new way of recounting the war, focused on human beings rather than the clashes, in the attempt to get viewers better empathize with the subjects and therefore understand crucial aspects of the ongoing conflict.

The Donbass conflict started after the 2014 revolution of Euromaidan. Following
the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the tense situation in the East escalated into an armed conflict involving separatist Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian governmental army with volunteer paramilitary battalions. Despite two ceasefires agreements, the clashes have not ceased in several towns. After 15 months of conflicts the Donbass war has taken more than 6500 lives.