Documentaries!!

Thrilled to announce that Anything for a better future, debut by Kars Tuinder, has been selected for the Official Selection of the 49th Elche International Independent Film Festival, to be held from 10 to 17 July 2026, in the Documentary category.

This film festival is one of the oldest in Europe.

Since its inception in 1978, it has served as a meeting point for filmmakers and the public. Its main objective is to promote new talent and foster film culture.

Open to the public, the festival is based at the Hort del Xocolater, a unique site of cultural and natural significance located in the heart of the Palmeral de Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the same time, the short films in the official selection are screened on Arenales del Sol beach.

It is currently a partner festival of the Spanish Film Academy and acts as a pre-selector for the Goya Awards in the categories of
Fiction, Documentary and Animation.

Synopsis:

A 19-year-old foreign student earns a scholarship to attend a university in Russia. Within months, he’s pulled into the Ukrainian war, filming his surreal journey as a foreign soldier for the Russian military, capturing a story of lost innocence, identity, and the fight for survival

Director Statement

When I first got connected with this young Nepali guy, I could’ve never imagined how things would unfold.
He was just a teenager, hopeful and excited about his scholarship to study in Russia.
Like many others, he came chasing the dream of a better future. None of us could have predicted that, just months later, he’d be on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, fighting in a Russian uniform.
What makes this story so unique is that he filmed it all himself on the iPhone he’d always dreamed of owning.
Through his lens, we see everything up close: army life, frontline fear, friendships, confusion, and quiet moments of reflection.
It’s an incredibly raw and human look at war from a perspective we rarely see inside the Russian military, but through the eyes of a foreigner.
This documentary isn’t about politics; it’s about survival, identity, and the strange paths life can take.
His footage and his story show us what war looks like when you strip away the headlines and see it through one young man’s eyes.
And I hope it reminds us how many people around the world get caught in situations they never asked for, just trying to find a way forward.
I hope this documentary makes people think about the cost of conflict, not just in numbers, but in individual lives.

“Anything for a Better Future” is a co-production between Nepal, Thailand and the Netherlands.

Kars Tuinder is a Dutch photographer and filmmaker renowned for his documentary work and contemporary art photography. He began his formal training at the Photo Academy at the age of 15 and has spent the past 35 years capturing visual storytelling to address social issues around the world. Tuinder’s work has received international acclaim, including the National Geographic Public Award, Human in Europe, and the Monovisions Photography Award. His photographs have been exhibited globally and featured by prestigious platforms such as LensCulture and Life Framer.
Now based in Bangkok, where he has lived for the past four years, Tuinder founded the Photohostel & Photocafe, a creative hub that combines accommodation, a café, and an art gallery. He also leads JTKT Productions, working on a wide range of international film projects across Thailand as a project manager.
Kars Tuinder’s debut as a documentary director and producer follows the extraordinary true story of a 19-year-old Nepali student who earns a scholarship to study at a Russian university. Just months after arriving, he is unexpectedly drawn into the war in Ukraine. Armed with a camera, he documents his surreal transformation from student to foreign soldier in the Russian military, capturing a journey of lost innocence, identity, and the desperate fight for survival.