On January 10, 2025, at the beginning of the year, the organizers of the CARE campaign ("Connection and Awareness through Refugees' Experiences") invited UVT students, researchers and professors to an evening of documentary film and reportage viewing about the Russian-Ukrainian war and Ukrainian refugees in Banat, together with members of the Ukrainian community in Timișoara. Participants watched the film "When Borders Get Indistinct" (2023, directed by Mircea Sorin Albuțiu; producer: Alexandra Palconi-Sitov from the Prin Banat Association, within the project "Cămine în Mișcare"/ "Moving Fireplaces," implemented through the Timișoara 2023 Cultural Program - European Capital of Culture) and the reportage "Maria Shymanska from Kiev," an episode from a series of portrait reports of Ukrainian refugees made by TVR journalist Mihaela Bumbuc. The opening speech belonged to Prof. univ. dr. habil. Dana Percec, Dean of the Faculty of Letters, History, Philosophy and Theology.
After the emotionally charged viewing, awakened both by the mediation of the experiences of Ukrainian refugees at the beginning of the war, and by the analogy made by the documentary film with the migration experience of Romanians from Banat, before and after the fall of communism, those present had the opportunity to interact with the three guests directly involved in the documentation and production of the film and the report: Mihaela Bumbuc, TVR journalist; Nicoleta Mușat, FLIFT university lecturer; Evghenia Jane Rozbytska, founder and president of the Faina UA Association. During the discussion, the following aspects were noted: the use of ethnographic documentation methods and their role in creating connections between researchers, journalists and Ukrainian refugees; the capacity of artistic creations to combat fake news about Ukrainian refugees and to provide an opportunity for understanding and solidarity in communities; the different experiences of Ukrainian refugees compared to those who remained in Ukraine during the war, and how the new reality changed everyone's lives and expectations; the hope for peace and reconstruction. In a special moment, at the end of the event, a member of the refugee community recently returned from a visit to Kharkiv shared with those present how they live and fight in Ukraine during war, thus bridging the gap in time from the beginning of the war captured in the documentary to the present in 2025, almost three years after the outbreak of the conflict.
The CARE campaign took place within the SURE project ("Students for a United and Resilient Europe"), carried out in the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year at the Interdisciplinary Center for Gender Studies of the West University of Timișoara, through a partnership agreement signed between UVT, EdVenture Partners and the American Councils for International Education, with funding from the US Department of State (project coordinator from UVT: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irina Diana Mădroane and Asst. Prof. Dr. Loredana Bercuci; student team: Arintina Bobiț, Loredana Brînzei, Daniel Buruian, Anamaria Cvașa, Daria Dragomir, Paula Drăgulescu, Alexia Faur, Andreea Faur, Andrada Nemeș, Amalia Secoșan, Teodora Tănase, Ramon Tănasie). The film viewing evening was hosted by the Faculty of Letters, History, Philosophy and Theology as part of the "LIFT for Intercultural Education" series.
