Filmmaker, artist and activist with Ukrainian and Central Asian Tatar and Bashqort roots. Polina was born and raised in Kharkiv, started her career in Kyiv, and has been living in Berlin since 2019. She has a bachelor's degree in animation and is currently doing her master's as an animation director at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Potsdam. Polina also organises social and educational projects, works at
film festivals and does artistic research on decolonial topics.
The story in 'My Grandmother Is A Skydiver' by Piddubna initiated a collaboration between Taragaon Next and Sattya Collective, where Sattya Collective also hosted a Stop Motion Animation Workshop.
"My Grandmother is a Skydiver" is a poetic animated documentary that journeys through time, geography, generations, and cultures to explore themes of life, the sky, knowledge, loss, and war.
Research for this project began in early 2022, sparked by my interest in my grandmother's life as a young, progressive woman from a Muslim background in Central Asia, as well as the broader development of feminism in the region. After the full-scale Russian invasion, which directly impacted my hometown in eastern Ukraine and my family, the story took on a deeper subtext.
The colonial legacy of the aggressor country stretches back centuries, affecting Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central, and North Asia. Countless cultures, languages, and ethnic groups have faced and continue to face oppression. These issues remain largely undiscussed; our stories are often overlooked by the international community.
This film serves as a form of media therapy, providing a space for reflection, healing, and
resilience for those directly impacted by conflict. It promotes cultural visibility and advocates for ethical approaches to marginalized narratives. It calls for decolonizing perspectives, unlearning biases, and making space for stories long kept on the margins to emerge into global consciousness and solidarity.
In its essence, the film is a political statement conveyed through the personal story of my family.
The Stop Motion Animation Workshop took place on the 27th and 28th of December, 2025.
Filmmaker, artist and activist with Ukrainian and Central Asian Tatar and Bashqort roots, Polina Piddubna facilitated the workshop and the participants will learn to create animation videos and relive the memories that remind us about our humanity.
During the workshop, participants were introduced to the basics of stop motion animation and its application in storytelling. They explored various storytelling approaches, fostering creative intuition and the ability to find compelling visual narratives. Furthermore, they gained insights on how to use personal ideas and themes to conceptualize a stop motion video. Skills like scriptwriting and drawing storyboards/comics to plan the animation were also be part of the workshop.
Participants were also able to have their creations screened at a showcase on January 3, 2026.
On the 3rd January, 2026, around 35 visitors gathered to listen to Piddubna talk about her journey of becoming an animator and filmmaker.
Participants from Stop Motion Animation workshop were also present there as their creations from the workshop were also showcased. Her film, My Grandmother Is A Skydiver and a couple of other films were screened, with her talking about the inspiration and process of creating each of those films.
Polina interacted with the visitors and responded to their questions during a Q/A session that happened towards the end of the event.
