Zelluloitis: Three Years of War in Ukraine

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A series of documentaries provide insight into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which also has an impact on video game development.

Content warning: The films discussed contain explicit acts of war.

In our focus on the Ukraine war, we have selected two current documentaries and two new short films for you. The brutal conflict has been raging just a few hours away from us for three years now, tearing families apart and costing far too many lives. While these films are currently making the rounds primarily at festivals and are not available on DVD, streaming or as a download, two of them can at least be seen in limited regions.

20 Days in Mariupol (Directed by Mstyslaw Tschernow)

The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary, documents the siege of the city by Russian forces shortly after the outbreak of the war, which lasted a total of 86 days and resulted in over 25,000 victims. The city, cut off from the outside world and crumbling piece by piece, falls victim to a terrible attack on a maternity ward, which is documented up close. The courageous photographer Mstyslaw Tschernow films the terrible extent of the devastating attacks and comments on the events. Since the decision was made to dub the German version and not to subtitle it, we unfortunately hear little about it. The entire documentary is currently available on demand in the ARD media library (Germany) and is an impressive document of contemporary history that really gets to the heart of the matter.

I Died In Irpin (Directed by Anastasiia Falileieva)

I Died In Irpin also takes place in the days following the Russian invasion. Anastasiia Falileieva lives with her boyfriend in Kyiv and flees to the northeastern city of Irpin, near the city of Bucha, where terrible massacres of the civilian population have been documented. There she lives for a while with her in-laws, who do not want to flee despite the heavy attacks on Irpin. I Died In Irpin consists mostly of hand-drawn scenes mixed with real footage. The exaggerated depictions, coupled with the intense audio backdrop, make your blood run cold and give you an idea of the protagonist’s unbelievable desperation. The approximately 11-minute short film is currently available on Swiss Radio and Television SRF.

As It Was (Directed by Damian Kocur/Anastasiia Solonevych)

Lera has been living in Berlin for almost a year since the outbreak of war. She decides to return to Kyiv at Christmas to meet her boyfriend Kyrylo there, as her family is not at home. The 15-minute drama As It Was will be presented as one of the best short films at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. In contrast to the previous two films, the war here takes place more in the background, but becomes omnipresent when Lera barricades herself in a bunker during an air raid. The short film, which was originally subtitled, impressively shows how war affects every family in some way – for example when your best friend is drafted into the army.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin (Directed by David Borenstein/Pavel Ilyich Talankin)

Over a period of two years, Pavel “Pasha” Talankin, the school photographer and event manager, filmed his impressions of the Karabash Comprehensive School #1 in the Southern Urals. The 90-minute documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin shows how the school is slowly falling more and more prey to propaganda, even though Moscow and the remote town are more than 1,700 kilometers away. While Pavel initially has a very close relationship with the students, he is becoming increasingly isolated, as he has hung a freedom flag in his office and makes no secret of his opposition to state propaganda. He is visibly finding it increasingly difficult to be part of the propaganda – to film the morning roll call or to photograph the distorted history lessons. No one in the village opposes the state propaganda, except Pavel, who, for example, lets the American anthem, sung by Lady Gaga, resound through the bare halls of the Soviet building in protest.

A turning point comes when Pavel, after handing in his resignation and seeing how his recordings are being used as propaganda on the streets, is recruited from abroad to do this very documentary. From now on, his recordings become evidence, which he records undercover instead of just uploading to a state server. Mr. Nobody Against Putin offers unique insights into how profoundly the students are exposed to state propaganda, only to be drafted into the military, and the tragic fates that result for many families. Mr. Nobody Against Putin is highly recommended for all those who want to deal with the subject matter.

War Game: The Making of Stalker 2 Documentary

Last but not least, we can also recommend the War Game documentary about the development of the video game Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, in which the members of the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World talk about the development history, which was marked by expulsion, flight and reprisals. The project also inspires optimism: even under the most adverse conditions, as Stalker 2 proves, a good video game can be created.