I want to present a part of my long-term documentary project called "Rov," which I started filming in 2017 in the place where I was born and raised — Crimea.
The name of the peninsula, Crimea, derives from the Turkic word "qirim," meaning "ditch," "wall," or "rampart," related to the ancient Perekop Wall that separates the peninsula from the mainland.
Within this project, I explore Crimea as a borderland between the so-called North and South, center and periphery. Crimea has always remained "on the edge," beyond the “rov”. This sense of detachment has long been an essential part of the Crimean mentality. However, historical processes have compelled this small territory to become part of global history, and the divide has turned into a symbol of the catastrophic consequences of geopolitical decisions.
This fracture — between Russia, Ukraine, and other centers of power — has become both a symptom and a cause of alarming events, culminating in the war in Ukraine. My project aims to show how borders and ruptures in space reflect deeper historical, social, and political processes.