Part of EUNIC Chicago's Ukrainian Film Series
Directed by Masha Kondakova
2021, Documentary, 1h08, Ukraine/France
Since the 2014 uprising of a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine, hundreds of women have joined the armed forces, but only a few have made it to the front lines. Filmmaker Masha Kondakova embeds herself in the front to follow the daily lives of three of these female soldiers. Lera, a patriot and rebel, quits her job as a journalist and joins the army. When the army packs her off to a training camp, she promptly deserts and goes straight back to the front. Ira, a young doctor, returns from the war injured. She fights a different battle in Kiev, where she has to find a new place for herself in society as a disabled war veteran. Elena volunteered in 2014. She lives far away from her children and tries to balance her private and professional life. In this compelling documentary, we meet three intrepid women who fight on multiple fronts simultaneously: against both the separatists and against patriarchal society.
This event is free and open to the public, but please register in advance and bring a photo ID to facilitate check-in.
In solidarity with Ukrainian filmmakers, EUNIC Chicago (European Union National Institutes of Culture) and the Institut Français are presenting a free program of five contemporary Ukrainian films this fall in Chicago.
The films in this series illustrate the vitality of the Ukrainian film industry for the past ten years, with an increasingly noticeable presence in foreign festivals (Cannes, Berlin, etc.). The selection in this program emphasizes the particularly dynamic Ukrainian documentary scene.
For a full list of film screenings, please see the Villa Albertine website.
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