Oleksandr Surovtsov is a filmmaker and photographer, who was based in Mariupol, Ukraine until March 2022. He was a factory worker till 2016. In that year he became a member of Platform TU in Mariupol, one of the few art spaces in Eastern Ukraine to promote human rights and freedom through an inclusive culture and art, and to develop critical thinking and tolerance in society. He is a member of Freefilmers, a cinemovement and NGO that promotes the decentralization of cultural processes and independent filmmaking, especially in Eastern Ukraine. Their latest projects focus on memories and archives beyond official historical narratives, and on gender violence in patriarchal capitalist society. Nowadays Freefilmers are engaged in building an activist and volunteer network of solidarity and support for Ukrainians who suffer from and fight against Russian imperialist aggression.