Nothing these days feels more pressing than the Russian war of aggression. But what are the perspectives of Ukrainian filmmakers, and how have they sought to address it in their current works? Alisa Kovalenko’s We Will Not Fade Away, selected for the 14plus competition of Berlinale Generation, offers an intimate portrait of five teenagers stranded in conflict-ridden Donbas, and doubles as an invitation to celebrate life amid all kinds of adversities. Berlinale Panorama entry Iron Butterflies, by Roman Liubyi, investigates with forensic meticulousness the shooting down of the Malaysian flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, and offers a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms of Russian warfare and disinformation in the media. Homing in on the different approaches and aesthetics of these two outstanding films, the session aims to shed more light on the conflict, and on how those who are directly affected find their ways to deal with it through cinema.
