Ukraine
Documentary ‘Russians at War’ Sparks Protest, Heated Debate in Toronto
Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova has responded to a protest at the Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday against her controversial Russians at War documentary ahead of a North American premiere on Friday. Trofimova tells The Hollywood Reporter her first-person film has her talking to ordinary Russian soldiers over seven months in Ukraine to get a perspective no one […]
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DOJ Investigation Alleges Russia Sent $10M to U.S. Media Company
The Department of Justice announced charges Wednesday against two Russian state media employees for funneling $10 million to an unidentified media company in the United States. The criminal case names two defendants, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, both charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Their scheme was […]
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Documentary Crew Uses Venice Red Carpet to Spotlight Ukrainian Prisoners of War
A film crew took advantage of the Venice Film Festival spotlight Wednesday and wore clothing on its prestigious red carpet embroidered with the distances from the Lido to various locations where Russians are holding Ukrainian prisoners. Their documentary Songs of Slow Burning Earth, directed by Olha Zhurba, celebrated its world premiere in the Out of […]
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Ukraine War in Karlovy Vary Focus as Oleh Sentsov Meets Czech President Before ‘Real’ World Premiere
World politics took center stage in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary on Sunday. Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov world premiered his documentary Real from the trenches of the Ukraine War at the 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. But beforehand, he met with Czech president Petr Pavel who expressed the Czech Republic’s support for […]
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Oleh Sentsov on Documenting “the Truth” From the Ukraine War Trenches in One-Shot Film ‘Real’
20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing and Oscar-winning documentary about the siege of the Ukrainian port city in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, brought home the devastation wrought by war on a civilian population. A new documentary, Real, premiering at the Karlovy Vary international Film Festival, shows the reality of the Ukraine […]
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Tom Hardy’s Father to Adapt British Soldier’s Ukrainian War Memoir as Film (Exclusive)
British/Ukrainian production outfit United Heroes is set to adapt Live. Fight. Survive., British soldier Shaun Pinner’s autobiographical memoir of his harrowing experience in the Ukraine war, as a feature film with the working title The English Warrior. Pinner’s book is a raw, firsthand account of being an English soldier caught in the midst of Russia’s […]
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‘The Invasion’ Review: Sergei Loznitsa’s Doc About Ukrainian Life During Wartime Is Quietly Devastating
The footage observes ordinary citizens and soldiers and folks who are a bit of both trying to get on with things in the few years since Russia crossed the border.
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How ‘Putin’ Will Test Audience Appetite for AI
Putin, a new political biopic being shopped to international distributors at next week’s Cannes film market, could test the waters for how much AI the film industry, and the audience, is prepared to accept. The drama from Polish director Besaleel, also known as Patryk Vega, recreates Russian leader Vladimir Putin using artificial intelligence that was […]
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Ukraine Documentary Wins Vilnius Film Festival Best Film Award
Maciek Hamela’s In The Rearview, a documentary that follows the stories of Ukrainians forced to flee the war, has won best film at the 2024 Vilnius Film Festival. The Vilnius jury picked the “touching documentary” for its top prize in a unanimous vote. Filmed in the first days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the film […]
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Canadian Jewish Film Festival Postponed Over Cinema Security Concerns
The Hamilton Jewish Film Festival is looking for another cinema to host its event after the Playhouse Cinema pulled its venue rental over “security and safety concerns” amid the Israel-Gaza conflict. The film festival was to have run from April 7 to 9 in Hamilton, Ontario at the Playhouse Cinema until the movie theater took […]
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Behind the Ukrainian Series Made in the War Zone
In the opening scene of In Her Car, a young Ukrainian woman stands before the bombed-out wreckage of her family home, screaming her sister’s name. There’s been a Russian missile attack, and the house, like the woman’s life, lies in ruins. Two years into the Ukraine war — the second anniversary of the Russian invasion […]
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Politics and (Peaceful) Protests on Berlin’s Opening Night
After a week of protests, petitions, and even a call to boycott the Berlin International Film Festival, organizers had to be fearing the worst when the 74th Berlinale kicked off Thursday night. But the only demonstration on the red carpet was a peaceful one. Several filmmakers gathered together next to Berlinale Directors Mariette Rissenbeek and […]
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