On October 29, at the invitation of the Embassy of Belgium in Ukraine, experts from our Association, Borys Babin and Anna Prykhodko, attended a screening of the documentary film “Mariinka” by Belgian director Pieter-Jan De Pue, held in Kyiv as part of the “Molodist” International Film Festival.
Filmed over the course of nine years, from 2014 to 2023, the documentary chronicles the lives of young people and residents of Mariinka, a war-torn, frontline city in the Donetsk region. The film focuses on the personal stories of families torn apart by the conflict, brothers fighting on opposing sides, paramedics, volunteers, and even collaborators.
The film held its world premiere at the “CPH:DOX” festival in March 2016, where it won the Audience Award; it has since been screened at various other international film festivals, including “CinEast” and “SGIFF”.
The screening was introduced by the Ambassador of Belgium to Ukraine, Luc Jacobs, alongside director Pieter-Jan De Pue and the festival organizers. Following the film, a discussion took place, exploring themes of occupation, the human experience during wartime, and the role of cinema in this context.
During their conversation with the Belgian diplomats, our Association’s experts discussed the commonalities and unique aspects of the occupation of Ukrainian territories, including the country’s eastern regions and Crimea since 2014, as well as the events surrounding the full-scale aggression, touching upon how these developments are portrayed through visual art.
A specific topic of the dialogue concerned the actions of aggressor-controlled oligarchs: individuals who facilitated the occupation yet continue to conduct active business in the Benelux countries, as well as related issues regarding sanctions, registries of damage, and the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Russian aggression.
