Six films and TV series about Russia's war against Ukraine worth watching

To mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NV gathered films about Ukraine and Ukrainians filmed during these tough times.

20 Days in Mariupol

The documentary by Associated Press video journalist Mstyslav Chernov has already won awards at several international festivals. It won the first BAFTA Award for Best Documentary in the history of Ukrainian cinema, as well as the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered. Chernov himself received an American Directors Guild Award for his film.

The film is a compilation of footage by Chernov and his colleagues, Vasilisa Stepanenko and photographer Yevhen Malolietka. The journalists filmed the Russian destruction of besieged Mariupol and were able to capture how the city’s residents survived the first 20 days of the 86 days’ siege. They were the last media personnel to leave Mariupol through the humanitarian corridor on the 21st day of the invasion.

"It's painful to watch, but it's supposed to be painful to watch," says the film's director in the trailer.

Read also: A journalistic chronicle of unfathomable tragedy – NV’s review of ‘20 days in Mariupol’

Amateurs

The documentary will feature interviews with hundreds of civilians who joined the local defense forces after Feb. 24, 2022. The volunteers themselves tell why they decided to join the army and what they felt during their first clashes with the enemy, having no combat experience.

The creators of the project say that the final version of the film includes only a small part of what they filmed. The full array of footage is planned to be transferred to the Institute of National Memory to preserve the memories of Ukrainians for historians and filmmakers.

In Her Car

The series tells the story of Lidiya, a psychologist who decides to evacuate and transport civilians on her own in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Each of the 10 episodes is a separate story of a person that unfolds in front of the protagonist. Lydia not only gets passengers to their destinations, but also helps them to find a way to understand themselves and their families and make important life decisions. Traveling also allows the heroine to realize the importance of things and to change the course of her life.

The series was created by Starlight Media in cooperation with the famous French film company Gaumont and 7 European broadcasting partners from France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, and Switzerland.

It will premiere in February.

A Butterfly's Vision

The public first saw Maksym Nakonechnyi's war drama at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022. The same year, the film won an award at the Odesa International Film Festival as the best Ukrainian full-length film.

The events of the film took place before the start of Russia's large-scale aggression, in 2017. The protagonist is an aerial reconnaissance officer named Lily with the call sign Butterfly, who is taken prisoner by Russia. After her release and return home, she finds out that she is pregnant. The girl faces a difficult choice. Lily faces the judgment of people and tries to restart her life while finding common ground with her loved ones

Call Sign Banderas

The military detective film Call Sign Banderas by Zaza Buadze tells the story of the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation. The film starts in Donbas in 2014. A group of scouts led by Captain Anton Sayenko is trying to prevent an enemy sabotage. The task is complicated by the fact that the protagonist is forced to perform sabotage operations in the places where he comes from.

The film was awarded the Golden Dzyga Award for Best Editing and the Audience Award.

The First Days

A 6-episode Ukrainian production about the events of the first two months of the full-scale Russian invasion. The series has already premiered on Netflix in 19 countries.

Each episode is a separate story based on real events. One tells the story of a woman forced to live with her children and two husbands, one current and one former. The second is about how a zoo worker met the war, the third is about a homeless man who helps a local TV and radio station, and yet another is about a German who came to Ukraine to find his girlfriend and stayed to volunteer.

The Hardest Hour

Alan Badoev and 1+1 present a documentary created from footage shot by more than 12 thousands Ukrainians. The film shows people's encounters with Russian crimes through the eyes of witnesses and participants in the events.

"Our long era has lasted for two years. And again, just like in the first days of the Russian attack, we wake up to explosions,” says director Alan Badoev about his film.

“Kharkiv, Kyiv residents, and other citizens are losing their homes, and many are waiting for their loved ones to return from the frontlines. Ukrainians have lost track of the days and seasons - winter, spring, summer - for many it is still February. But as we know, the darkest time is before dawn. And I feel that our long era will definitely end. However, we must never forget the events of this era, never let our history be erased. This is what the project is about."

Read also: Top 5 Ukrainian can’t-miss movies of 2023

We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine