A project about Gen Z youth in Ukraine

Words and photographs by Anastasiia Pischanska

“My recent work focuses on the digital traces of a generation shaped by war and migration. In 2024, I launched a research project on Ukrainian Gen Z in the digital age, gathering over 200 testimonies through an open call. This investigation now feeds into my first feature-length documentary, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN THEZZZE YEARS, an attempt to capture the collective subconscious of a generation that is constantly in transit—physically, digitally, and emotionally. The question “where have you been these years” and the “Z” symbol play a crucial role in the film, acting as indicators of propaganda in the digital age. This question, propagated by Russian online media, sows confusion among Ukrainians, while the colonialist “Z” symbol marks occupied territories. The movie addresses metaphysical questions such as the egregore of a generation, the nature of evil, and the search for God in times of His absence. It explores how my generation can process memory when it has been profoundly shaped by war. I focus on younger queer people, artists, soldiers and kids.”