Experiencing Interruptions?

Dried Joy: A Taste of Resilience

After losing both arms in combat while helping liberate Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Serhii faced a future most would find unimaginable. But instead of retreating into loss, he began building something radically hopeful: Dried Joy, a dried meat business rooted in a childhood dream — now reimagined with renewed purpose. What began as a spark of determination has grown into a small ecosystem involving fellow veterans and the families of others who served — a community where no words are needed to be understood. This short documentary offers an intimate, character-driven portrait of resilience, tracing Serhii’s path from the frontlines to entrepreneurship, where survival becomes creation and trauma is transformed into a shared purpose that brings joy to others.

  • Julia Provorchenko
    Director
  • Mykhailo Gusarov
    Writer
  • Alexandra Kutas
    Producer
  • Mykyta Mekenzin
    DOP
  • Julia Provorchenko
    Editors
  • Alexander Legostaev
    Editors
  • Dmytro Smyrnyi
    Color
  • Maria Ivashchenko
    Sound
  • Serhii Palamarchuk
    Motion Design
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 9, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    Ukraine
  • Language:
    Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    XDCAM HD 422, 1920x1080, 25fps,
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Together! Disability Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 6, 2025
    UK
    Selection
  • Seoul International Short Film Festival
    Seoul
    South Korea
    November 12, 2025
    Selection
  • Kaaffilm International Short Film Festival
    Milan
    Italy
    October 1, 2025
    International Documentary Award at the Kaaffilm International Short Film Festival 2025
Director Biography - Julia Provorchenko

Julia Provorchenko is a Ukrainian video editor and director whose work centers on emotionally resonant storytelling. With over 1,000 projects under her belt, she brings precision and empathy to every frame. In 2022, she co-founded Cofounder Studio with her creative partner Nikita Mekenzin. Together, they’ve crafted campaigns for brands like Visa, ISEI, and Nova Poshta — but Dried Joy marks one of her most personal, human-focused documentaries yet.

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Director Statement

The ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine has left more than 230,000 people with life-altering injuries, including limb loss. These are people who were once athletes, artists, entrepreneurs — full of potential. Now, many must learn to walk again. To eat again. To hold a spoon. To start over.

Dried Joy tells the story of one of them — Serhii — a double-arm amputee who refused to let war define the limits of his life. We followed him not to portray tragedy, but to honor resilience. Through his dried meat business, born from a childhood dream, Serhii shows us not only what disabled veterans endure — but what they can build.

This film is a tribute to quiet strength, radical reinvention, and the dignity of beginning again. It’s a reminder that even in war, there is taste, texture, and joy — and people capable of shaping something new from everything they’ve lost.