Synopsis

Ultimately violent demonstrations in Kiev, the annexation of the Crimea by Russia, the bloody separatist uprising in the East of the country – the Ukraine has not been at peace for months. UKRAINE_VOICES allows a look at the harbingers of these events from a bird's eye view, making them appear somewhat more tangible. The highly topical documentary by Dmytro Tiazhlov and Ella Shtyka features eight episodes, all of them produced by young filmmakers. They portray their fellow countrymen in their attempts to help shape the country according to their own wishes. For instance, an orthodox bishop can no longer relate to the guidelines specified by his church and leaves the monastery to become an LGBT activist. And an animal rights activist, who has been living in a run-down cabin situated in a natural reserve for 20 years, explains why he chooses to stay out there also in the future. An urban nomad is living without any official ID – and also wants to maintain this situation by all means. Last but not least, a journalist, who would have liked the Ukraine to draw closer to the EU, starts a Facebook appeal... which ultimately leads to the protests on Kiev's Maidan Square. All this happens within a system, in which free speech and democracy are more wishful thinking than living reality. Could the crisis have been foreseen?

Guests

Dmytro Tiazhlov

Producer Ukraine_Voices