Ukraine’s Maidan revolution of 2014, or as we name it, “the revolution of dignity”, coincided with the eleventh yr of a documentary movie competition which takes place yearly in Kyiv.
The 2014 version of Docudays UA began simply because the revolution ended, so the primary visible used all through our programming was a burning coronary heart. Our viewers of 1000's had simply come by way of a heartbreaking chapter, just lately burying 100 of our fellow residents killed on Maidan sq., combating for our nation’s freedom. Our important competition venue, the Kyiv cinema home, was packed out, with an environment I’ll always remember.
At the moment, not solely are our land and other people threatened, however our tradition too. Kyiv’s museums are at present evacuating their collections into basements or, in the event that they’re fortunate, overseas. On this battle to safeguard our tradition, documentaries have a novel position: movies are much less destructible and may extra simply be distributed for the world’s on-line audiences to see. Ukraine has a wealthy historical past of documentary film-making with archives that file the lives of our folks over many many years. Furthermore, Ukrainian documentaries shall be a putting testomony sooner or later to the occasions unfolding now.
Whereas many have taken up arms to defend our nation, the community of documentary film-makers I work with have used the following finest weapon they've handy: their cameras. And like our citizen armies they're risking their lives to exit and movie. This warfare has began in a fog of pretend information, propaganda and lethal lies, so film-makers are doing no matter they will to counter this by recording the truth of what's going on round them and trying to get it out to worldwide audiences. The reality lies in entrance of them and they're wanting to doc, file and protect for the world to see – now and sooner or later – what has occurred right here. President Biden has already claimed that Vladimir Putin is a warfare felony, and in documenting the crimes we see round us, we are able to solely bolster that declare.
This yr would have been our nineteenth Docudays UA competition. Our rigorously curated programme of screenings and occasions was on account of happen proper now, with our traditional worldwide viewers becoming a member of the talk. When the warfare began we have been pressured to cancel, and rather than the screenings, we're turning to a wide range of on-line initiatives one in every of which is the launch, with the Guardian, of three acclaimed movies.
The choice we curated with Guardian Documentaries have been all shot earlier than this present warfare however all of them began a technique or one other with the Maidan revolution. They're necessary subsequently, not solely in giving context to what's taking place now however to supply a counter to the violent imagery of reports reporting, with a extra intimate and clever take a look at Ukrainian folks and tradition.
Past that, all the movies have been made with European co-producers and have gained prestigious movie awards at European movie festivals, a cultural connection that should stay sturdy.
The revolution in 2014 instigated a brand new wave of Ukrainian documentary movies and a few of the largest names in our business proper now formed their careers throughout this pivotal second in our nation’s historical past. Movie-makers headed straight in direction of the warfare in Donbas and to the occupation of Crimea, staying there for months and even years, going past the information headlines to seize each day life below siege.
The film-makers offered in our Guardian collaboration, Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith and Irena Stetsenko positively belong to this Maidan era. They're the era with the burning hearts.
Darya Bassel is afilm producer, programmer and head of business at Docudays UA, the Ukrainian worldwide human rights movie competition.
Guardian Documentaries newest launch is devoted to the wealthy and vibrant world of Ukrainian cinema, exhibiting excerpts of three award-winning Ukrainian movies. This venture is offered in collaboration with Kyiv-based movie competition Docudays UA. Two out of the three movies may be seen of their entirety at DocHouse Cinema London, on 5 and 6 April as a part of a venture referred to as “Stand with Docudays”, produced by One World Media, Bertha Dochouse and Guardian Documentaries. Income from the screenings will go to Docuhelp, a fund set as much as assist Ukrainian film-makers. Click on right here for tickets to screenings.
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