18/03/2025 - Despite the constant presence of the war, this moving documentary by Tetiana Dorodnitsyna and Andrii Lytvynenko is, above all, a testament to the resilience of a remarkable woman

Before we see her face, we hear Anna Kurkurina’s voice as she speaks to one of her kittens. Immediately, the viewer becomes eager to get to know her, quickly realising that Anna is a unique woman, different from the people around her, as she says herself. More masculine? Tougher? Queerer? Maybe, but that's not what makes her so exceptional. Her difference lies rather in the fact that underneath this surface, a multi-layered, caring person emerges, and the viewer quickly sees past the appearance.

In their documentary Everything Needs to Live [+see also:
interview: Tetyana Dorodnitsyna, Andri…
film profile], which just had its international premiere at the One World International Human Rights Film Festival in Prague and will also screen in other cities in the Czech Republic in the coming weeks, Tetyana Dorodnitsyna and Andrii Lytvynenko draw a sensitive portrait of Anna Kurkurina, a multiple world champion in power triathlon, who dedicates her life to saving animals in war-torn Ukraine. What is remarkable in their project is the psychological finesse with which the filmmakers get their protagonist to open up more and more. The camera acts as Kurkurina's silent companion, witnessing war crimes against animals and humans alike, while the filmmakers simply listen.

And Anna has a lot to share. She carries a lot of pain, but is also full of love (for animals, life, and people with disabilities). Much of her pain stems from her childhood when she was bullied for being tomboyish. As a result, she sought refuge with animals at an early age and became a zoo technician. In the former Soviet Union, however, she was assigned a job in a school, but the animals still remained her purpose in life. Then, at the age of 40, Anna took up weightlifting and set several world records. Today, she also helps others get in shape and is committed to training people with disabilities, such as Dima, a boy with cerebral palsy.

When the war in Ukraine begins, Anna decides to stay in war-torn Mykolayiv and help the animals. She is a doer and organises food transports to surrounding villages in situations where others would have given up long ago. She appears strong and fragile at the same time – a dichotomy contributing to her charisma.

Tetyana Dorodnitsyna and Ivan Selistran's cinematography also lend a voice to the animals. There are many harrowing moments in the film where the viewer can feel the sadness of these traumatised creatures through their eyes.

Although she is surrounded by dogs and cats, Anna appears to be lonely. At one point in the film, she makes it clear that she is a lesbian woman and that it hurts her to often be perceived as a trans man. Maybe the doc’s title could be interpreted as "Anna Needs to Live": Anna lives for others every day, but one wishes she had a shoulder to lean on, too. Moreover, some spectators may wish they could stay with Anna a little longer.

Everything Needs to Live was produced by Aura Films, in co-production with Canal+ Poland and with support from the Polish Film Institute.