“This project helped us find a different kind of truth about the conflict and our situation in Ukraine. People who come from the war zone were able to tell their stories and share their difficulties. And in the same way that we learnt to understand each other, we are hoping to change other people’s mindsets, too.”
(Anastasia, participant in Krivoy Rog)
”Glocal’s expertise in project development and participatory video methods combined with their context-sensitive approach to challenges within a dynamic “IDP hot spot setting’, made them the best possible contractor for the project. The collaboration was professional and successful.”
(Dr. Alexander Otto, Project Director ‘Strengthening Ukrainian communities hosting internally displaced people’, GIZ)
With the aim of fostering dialogue and understanding between internally displaced people (IDPs) and their host communities in eastern Ukraine, we developed a participatory video project in collaboration with GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) Ukraine.
Rooted in the GIZ programme Psychological Support and Conflict Management, the project brought together IDPs and non-IDPs of different ages in three film workshops. Working in mixed groups, participants learned filmmaking skills and collaborated to produce their own stories.
Over the course of the workshops, six films were created, offering personal reflections on the ongoing conflict and its direct impact on people’s lives in Ukraine. The process gave participants a safe space to share experiences, exchange perspectives, and explore common ground, helping to improve relationships, strengthen social cohesion, and reduce the risk of conflict.
Each workshop concluded with a public screening, opening the conversation to the wider community and encouraging constructive dialogue. To ensure long-term impact, we also trained a local team of youth workers, social workers, teachers, and psychologists who continue to use the film package in their daily work to promote understanding and connection.¹
In close collaboration with our client organisations, we develop bespoke film and media projects for the cultural, educational and international cooperation sectors. We strongly believe that the method of participatory video is a tool for empowerment, amplifying the voice of those, who often remain unheard.
To maximise stakeholder engagement, our projects serve as a medium for research, training, documentation, communication, evaluation and dissemination.
We provide
Participatory video workshops to foster dialogue, reflection, and exchange.
Train-the-trainer programmes in filmmaking and participatory methods to ensure sustainability.
Strategic support to enhance outreach, dissemination, and impact
Image videos for communication and fundraising
Social media integration and campaign support to tailor, schedule, and promote video content for maximum reach and engagement.
Ukraine, Poland & Germany (German Foreign Ministry & Goethe-Institut)
21 students from Germany, Poland, and Ukraine came together for a six-month journey to explore refugee experiences — past and present. Through research, expert interviews, and creative collaboration, they produced six powerful documentary films.
Their work sparked cross-border dialogue, connecting historical displacement with contemporary realities, and bringing these stories to public audiences through screenings and discussions.¹
«This project helped me understand that behind every statistic is a person, a story, a life changed forever.»
OKSANA participant
DISPLACEMENT
Philippines (GIZ)
In Mindanao, a region in the southern Philippines marked by conflict, youth leaders took part in a six-month training in participatory video and documentary filmmaking. Using smartphones and editing apps, they gained the skills to tell their own stories, expand their ideas for peace-building measures, and lead community-led film workshops. The program, part of the YOUCAP initiative, produced four powerful documentaries, showcasing local visions for peace and resilience.¹
«I really enjoyed learning about filmmaking and the ways it reaches people’s emotions. I am motivated to continue facilitating participatory video workshops to give a voice to our local communities.»
GERALD participant
PEACEBUILDING
Germany (Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin)
Planes follows five airplanes through time and space, weaving their paths through Berlin and Aleppo. As the planes travel, they connect the lives of three generations: a teenage apprentice working in an aircraft factory, a hobby pilot landing at a historic airport, a young man rebuilding his life in Berlin, and his girlfriend, who dreams of visiting his homeland.
Produced as part of #LibraryOfStories, a digital storytelling project by the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin, the film is one of several short stories created by Berliners with and without refugee experience.¹
«My story found its home in this film, and now it can travel farther than I ever dreamed.»»
OMAR participant
INTEGRATION
India (GIZ)
Women from six indigenous communities in Nagaland, India, come together to share their knowledge of farming, forests, and crop diversity in the face of climate change. Over one week, they learn filmmaking skills, exchange inter-tribal wisdom, and produce two short films that celebrate traditional practices and explore adaptation strategies.
Produced as part of a participatory video project funded by GIZ India, the films were screened in local communities, sparking dialogue among families, leaders, and policymakers.
«… I hope that this project can continue and reach other villages and tribes, because it will help us to preserve our eco system through our own traditional ways of cultivating.»
JULIA participant
CLIMATE CHANGE
¹ Produced by Glocal Films, now Glocal Collective.