Temporary Shelter

Temporary Shelter is a deeply personal and observational documentary that follows the lives of Ukrainian refugees in Iceland during the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Filmed by a refugee filmmaker from within the experience, the film captures moments of dislocation, resilience, and quiet survival in an unfamiliar land.

Set against the stark beauty of Iceland’s landscapes, it reveals how individuals reclaim identity and dignity through everyday acts of persistence — portrayed without sensationalism, but with intimacy and honesty.

Documenting a time of deep uncertainty, courage, and fragile hope, Temporary Shelter offers a rare and moving portrait of emotional survival — before trauma hardened into permanence.

Director’s statement :

I began filming Temporary Shelter alone — with no financial or institutional support. For nearly a year, I worked without a crew, capturing moments as they unfolded, intuitively and intimately. The camera became an extension of my presence, allowing me to observe gently and from within.

Eventually, a producer joined the project, and we secured modest post-production funding. Still, the majority of the film remained self-shot. Only a small portion was later filmed with the support of a cinematographer.

This film was made during my first years in Iceland, where I arrived as a refugee from Ukraine. Temporary Shelter became a way to process my own displacement, to reconnect with my inner voice, and to create something honest at a time of deep personal and collective uncertainty.

It is not a film about war in the traditional sense, but rather a quiet testimony to the emotional and everyday realities of those who live through it — far from the front lines, but still deeply affected.