The Voice of Despair by Nina Goldvin

Nina Goldvin is a new filmmaker from Ukraine whose debut short film The Voice of Despair is already making a strong impression—especially with its screening at Cannes. The film tells the story of sexual violence through a unique and powerful perspective: the voice of an unborn child.
What’s especially striking is that this wasn’t a project Goldvin planned in advance. While visiting Ukraine, she met a friend who introduced her to a women’s doctor. That doctor shared a number of heartbreaking stories she’d heard from patients—stories about abuse that many women are forced to carry in silence. One of those stories hit Goldvin deeply. She said she felt a lump in her throat after hearing it, and an overwhelming need to share the story. “I had to express my voice of despair” she states during the interview while recounting the moment she heard this story. That’s how the film began to take shape.
Goldvin felt a responsibility to use her platform to speak up for women who have experienced similar pain. She’s passionate about helping women around the world feel seen, safe, and empowered.
Making a film like this obviously comes with emotional challenges. But Goldvin had a tool she leaned on throughout the process: meditation. Her mother taught her how to meditate when she was five years old, and she says that having that ability to calm and center herself helped her get through the heavy emotions that came with telling such a painful story. She expressed the importance of being able to control your emotions and mental state.
Interestingly, acting in her own film wasn’t the hardest part. The real challenge was finding someone to voice the unborn child. Since the character needed to sound like a young child and speak fluent Ukrainian, casting was tough. Eventually, Goldvin found the right person—someone she felt a real connection with—and also formed a close bond with the child’s mother during filming.
Because the story is based on a real event, Goldvin wanted to make sure she had permission to share it. The doctor who originally told her the story helped her get in touch with the woman who had lived through it. That woman agreed to let Goldvin tell the story, as long as her identity stayed private. To this day, she’s still deeply affected by what she experienced.
Goldvin said she grew up in a peaceful, sheltered environment and didn’t realize how common stories like this really are. Learning about the reality so many women face was painful—and also motivating. She wants to make sure these kinds of stories aren’t ignored or treated like they’re normal.
One thing that surprised her while making the film was how naturally everything came together. She didn’t have a strict plan or a detailed outline—she just knew the story had to be told, and trusted herself to find the way.
Looking ahead, Goldvin is still thinking about women’s rights and the political side of these issues. She’s even considering turning The Voice of Despair into a full-length feature film. There’s more she wants to say, and this film feels like just the beginning.

Interview by Madeline Ballard