In writing this diary, I was inspired by the Facebook post of Arturas Kvederis. I will use some of his (proofread) words below in quotation marks.
"Many people choose not to delve into details of war as they might be shocking, traumatizing, and impossible to comprehend in modern society. But you can not run away from the truth. What russians did and continue doing in Ukraine I can not call any other way except as crimes against humanity and genocide. I have a few recommendations for those of you brave enough to get a glimpse into what Ukrainians need to deal with”.
All the movies below are of high cinematographic quality, some of them having won international movie awards, nominations, and special mentions.
“1. Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom – this is a snapshot of how it all began in 2013 and 2014, important to understand that the war started a long time ago and russia was preparing for this for more than a decade”.
“2. Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom – good documentary [from the same director] spanning multiple cities during the first year of the full-scale invasion”.
“3. Uprooted - a documentary about the abduction, deportation, and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by the russian federation”.
4. Intercepted – a documentary around intercepted calls by russian soldiers talking with their mothers, wives, friends easily justifying murder, torture, and other atrocities they did in Ukraine.
5. 20 Days in Mariupol – a documentary that captures the first days of full-scale war in Mariupol. BAFTA award for Best Documentary 2024, nominated for Best Documentary in Oscar 2024.
“6. Bucha – a [feature] movie, while not a documentary, this thrilling heroic story is based on a real person story, a friend of mine – Gudauskas Konstantin, so I am confident the events are displayed very closely to what happened”
“After watching these you will have a much better understanding of how Ukrainians feel, what they go through, and most importantly why we cannot give up, and why we will continue the fight no matter what.
The times are dark, but a new day and a new dawn always come. I have only one ask of you – do not close your hearts to Ukraine and Ukrainians, keep standing together with Ukraine".
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Incidentally, along with the journalists who arrived to report on the war and then used their footage to make 20 Days in Mariupol, another man was making a movie in the city. Mantas Kvedaravičius was a Lithuanian filmmaker, anthropologist, and archaeologist known for war reporting in hostile areas. In 2014-2015, he made a film Mariupolis (2016), focused on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in 2014–15 and the attacks of separatist troops.
In 2022, Mantas Kvedaravicius returned to Mariupol, Ukraine, accompanied by his partner, Hanna Bilobrova, to re-engage with the people he had met and filmed in 2015 amidst the conflict. The authors of the 20 Days in Mariupol fled the city on 15 March 2022. Kvedaravicius stayed in the city. He was killed on 30 March 2022. Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's ombudsperson for human rights, alleged that Kvedaravičius "was taken prisoner by 'rashists', who later shot him. The occupiers threw the director's body out into the street". After his death, his partner and co-author Hanna Bilobrova and her team finished the film and released it in 2022. “With huge force and sensitivity, Mariupolis 2 depicts life as it continues amidst the bombing and reveals images that convey both tragedy and hope”.
Where to watch these films: at least Winter on Fire and Freedom on Fire are available on YouTube. Others can be found on streaming platforms, depending on your location and locally available services.
Intercepted has just premiered, so it would likely be touring the world with limited screenings for several weeks before the public release. Please follow their website for updates.
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This February marks not only the second anniversary of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, but also the tenth (!) anniversary since russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. These are some of the documentaries mostly referring to the period before 2022, available on the Ukrainian video streaming platform Takflix. All descriptions by Takflix:
Alisa in Warland, 2015.
“Alisa is 26 years old when the revolution starts on the Maidan. Like many filmmakers, she begins to film the crucial events that her country goes through. But soon, the distance between the camera and reality will shrink, and life and death will become more important than just a film. Alisa will spend two years at the epicenter of the turmoil, from Independence Square in Kyiv to the security checkpoints of Sloviansk and the ruins of Donetsk airport.
It is also the journey and personal diary of a Ukrainian girl and documentary filmmaker confronted with the same choices and dilemmas as those of her countrymen and -women when personal life meets history.
Currently, the director defends Ukraine in the Armed Forces”.
War Note, 2021.
“Personal videos from the phones, camcorders, cameras and GoPros of Ukrainian soldiers are woven into a surreal journey to the frontline of the war with Russia. The film shows a bizarre world whose laws are quite different from what we are used to. The behaviour is different, the relationships unfold differently and the humour takes on different notes. The heroes wake up and fall asleep, rejoice and cry, always feeling that the recording may end at any moment”.
Mariupolis, 2016.
“Mariupol, a city on the coast of the Sea of Azov, is a stone's throw from the war zone in eastern Ukraine. The sounds of shelling are heard within the city. We have the opportunity to see the daily life of the inhabitants of the surrounded city. A man mends a fishing net and goes out to sea. Two trams collide with each other - no one was injured, and the wires are repaired on the same day. A small concert is organized for the workers at the factory - the sincere playing of the violinist moves them to tears. Bombs fall into the sea, but people are already used to it”.
Life to the Limit, 2022.
“From the Revolution of Dignity to full-scale war: successful Ukrainian film producers took up arms to defend the country and cameras to record the gruesome reality. From the fragments of memories and their film archive, veterans Pavlo and Yurko assemble a mosaic of the causes and consequences of today's Russian-Ukrainian war - from the end of 2013 to today.
The authors went to the front as volunteers, visited the hotspots of Donbas, and created the homemade drone "Furia", which is now named after one of the best air reconnaissance units. And all this time they continued to create videos to show the world the truth about the terrible war that became possible in the 21st century”.