Lichtblick-Kino

Who cared or even knew much about Donbas(s) until Putin’s invasion of Ukraine brought the Russian-speaking border region to the news agenda?

February 24, 2022, marked the beginning of a war that has caused millions of people to flee their homes, more casualties than meets the media eye (200,000 on both sides) and a global geopolitical realignment along the conflict divide.

But for the people of Donbas(s), war began in 2014 when Kyiv’s military forces sought to crack down on the Russia-backed separatist unrest in the country’s eastern provinces. By February 2022, the fighting had already killed 14,000 and forced millions to flee.

Today, the shell-blasted, mined-filled and trench-marked landscape of Donbas(s) bears witness to the physical ravages of a murderous conflict.

Today there are at least two Donbasses – the region’s very spelling supposed to give away one’s allegiance to one side or the other. It’s Donbas if you mean to show support to Ukraine. But then again Sergei Loznitsa’s film is titled Donbass, although its maker is an outspoken Ukraine/Zelensky supporter.

This mini film festival is not attempting to bring truths or take sides. We humbly rely on the power of cinema and firsthand accounts to shed light on an underreported part of the Ukraine conflict.

The programme is eclectic: four takes on one war by four filmmakers with little in common but their bafflement and horror at how violence broke out and wrecked this part of Ukraine.

Whether small docs or award-winning fiction, their films bear witness to the human tragedy that has been unfolding in Donbas(s) since 2014, years before Putin’s invasion finally brought the region’s plight to Western media’s attention.

As usual, the screenings will be followed by Q&As with filmmakers, while special guests will help bring context and answer questions.

We hope for lively discussions, to be continued in the Kino foyer over (Georgian) wine!