Donetsk: The Battle for Ukraine
Against the backdrop of civil war and the standoff between Europe and Russia, Eastern Ukraine presents a unique and fleeting spectacle: the birth of new nations.
From the spring of 2014 to the summer of 2015, Antony Butts filmed the secession of the "Donetsk People's Republic." He followed the pro-Russian protesters who took control of this city of one million inhabitants and its region. He witnessed the creation of a separatist state and the outbreak of war against Ukraine, up to the current fragile ceasefire.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisCurrent Affairs Written and directed byAntony Butts, Scott Stevenson Supported by CNC, Procirep, Angoa-AgicoaBroadcasted by ARTE France Distributed by Artline Films Festival(s)Sélection officielle, Hot Docs 2016, Canada Sélection officielle / Bergen International Film Festival, Norway / One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic & Belgium / Movies that Matter, NetherlandsYear2016Duration55min / 80min
Up close to these events, the film tells the story of sympathizers, activists, and rebel leaders. Among them are “Lenin,” a self-proclaimed hero of the working class; Vladimir, the leader of the rebel parliament; Roma, a super-cop hunting down traitors and enemies of the Republic; Tatiana, a baker who dreams of being the icon of the Revolution; Félix, a special forces soldier captured by the Ukrainian army and later exchanged…
And alongside or against them are the residents of Donetsk, both pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian, caught up in the Russian propaganda-driven spiral of violence that culminates in civil war.
Press coverage
Rarely has an immersive experience captured the tumult at the heart of a civil war so accurately. Through often stark sequences, Butts powerfully reveals the brutality of the new rulers. He uncovers their corruption, the Russian influence on the 'revolutionary process,' and the impasse faced by the People's Republic, which remains plagued by an ongoing conflict. A must-see.
Télérama
Antony Butts captures the dream of a lost paradise turned into a true nightmare. With 9,000 dead and 500,000 displaced, the Donetsk Republic is reduced to a police state, giving the documentary a Western feel. A rare film that gives voice to the 'villains.'
La Vie