Eyes on Ukraine

Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.

Eyes on Ukraine

U.S./Ukraine, 2025

In commemoration of AIDS Awareness Month (and World AIDS Day, December 1), the UCLA Film & Television Archive presents the official world premiere of Eyes on Ukraine, a powerful documentary that explores the intersection of two crises — war and the HIV epidemic. Directed by Mo Stoebe and executive produced by Richard Gere, the film follows HIV-positive Ukrainian activist Yana Panfilova as she joins “Through Positive Eyes,” a global photo-storytelling project co-directed by award-winning South African photographer Gideon Mendel and the UCLA Art & Global Health Center. Part of an engrossing visual anthology that connects the power of community, art and activism in the face of a global pandemic, Eyes on Ukraine depicts the harrowing and inspiring daily struggle of young people living with HIV. Arriving at a time when the global health community is confronting historic cuts to research and support, Eyes on Ukraine looks to the resilience of a new generation, navigating survival and community through art and activism.

Preceding the film will be a short presentation looking back at the history of “Through Positive Eyes,” an initiative of MAKE ART/STOP AIDS. A post-screening panel will focus on the quickly changing landscape of HIV/AIDS funding, featuring UCLA faculty and a representative group of international “Through Positive Eyes” “artivists.”

DCP, color, 37 min. Director: Mo Stoebe. Executive Producer: Richard Gere. Producers: David Gere, Katja Kulenkampff. With: Yana Panfilova, Liza Shevchuck, Yehor Pasko.