BOOTCAMP. VOLUNTEER'S JOURNEY

HOSPITALLERS is a medical battalion within the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, founded in 2014 since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war, providing first aid and evacuating the wounded. Each month, new cadets are trained at the battalion's training base.

BOOTCAMP involves intense physical challenges and practicing first aid skills under stressful conditions. The instructors try to achieve the effect of surprise and bring the cadets closer to the condition in which combat medics have to work.

BOOTCAMP. VOLUNTEER’S JOURNEY (working title) is a short documentary film about the life and experiences of a group of young cadets taking a two-week course in combat medicine.

POINT OF VIEW The film shows the story from the point of view of the cadets in an observational manner to immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of the team and experience their states: fatigue, anxiety, feeling the limit of strength, maintaining a sense of humor, and brotherhood.

CREATIVE VISION a dynamic handheld camera that lives and goes through all the tasks side by side with the cadets, giving the viewer a sense of presence and participation

CHARACTERS CADETS – men and women, aged 20-40, from various civilian professions. They do not have specialized medical training.

INSTRUCTORS – experienced soldiers of the battalion who regularly undergo combat rotations.

TIME AND PLACE combat medics bootcamp lasts for 14 days at the battalion's training base in the East of Ukraine. The action takes place in the winter of 2024.