For filmmaker Igor Minaev, the freedom of expression acquired in Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union is so precious that it justifies all battles.
“For Ukraine, it is unthinkable to go back [sous la domination russe]. Despite the economic, political, and cultural problems, these are people who have lived freedom for all these past years. They’ve been through situations where there’s no censorship, where they’re not afraid to speak their mind publicly,” he says.
Soviet propaganda is the central subject of his film The cacophony of the Donbasswhich this week opens the Montreal International History Film Festival.
The filmmaker, who was born in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, but who has lived in France for several years, traces in this film the tormented history of Donbass. This region of Ukraine which, after suffering an armed pro-Russian insurrection in 2014, was “recognized” independent by Russia at the end of February.
For Ukraine, it is unthinkable to go back [sous la domination russe]. Despite the economic, political, and cultural problems, these are people who have lived freedom for all these past years.
His film first dives into the 1930s, when one of the founding myths of the Soviet Union was born, that of the Donbass miners. At that time, a certain miner by the name of Alekseï Stakhanov amazed the USSR by shoveling 102 tons of coal in six hours, during a competition, while the norm was 7 tons. His story, disputed by many, is taken over by Soviet propaganda, which wants to make him a model for other miners.
Stakhanovism
“Stakhanovism” gives rise to the elaboration of a fantasized image of the Donbass miner, driving state-of-the-art cars, wearing clean and neat clothes and leading a “carefree and easy” life. The title of Minaev’s film ironically refers to The Donbass Symphonya Soviet propaganda film released in 1931.
However, in 1989, when the Soviet empire was cracking everywhere, the Donbass miners went on strike and shattered this fabricated image. They denounce the state of extreme poverty in which they live and the deaths of miners linked to methane explosions occurring at the bottom of the mines.
For Igor Minaev, the miners then ran great risks by denouncing Soviet propaganda and demanding better working conditions.
“It was very, very dangerous what they did. It was an act of enormous courage and strength. They couldn’t take it anymore,” says the filmmaker.
For the inhabitants of Donbass, the freedom linked to Ukraine’s independence in 1991 will not last. In 2014, pro-Russian forces stormed the region. In his documentary, Igor Minaev collects testimonies from citizens who were savagely beaten and tortured by the Russians or hit by Ukrainian shells during the war which continues to tear Donbass to this day.
A belated interest
At the time, however, “this war did not interest many people”, says Igor Minaev, whose film was released in 2019. “It was considered a local, horrible conflict. Before, it was the annexation of Crimea, and once again, the whole world had not reacted. Everyone said it was wrong. »
For the filmmaker, the massive invasion of Ukraine by Russia, launched in February, was then “unimaginable”. And it was the enormity of the situation that prompted the international community to take a stand.
Previously, “no one wanted to confront Putin directly, he said, for economic or political reasons”.
However, since this war began, Igor Minaev has been convinced that the Ukrainians “will not allow themselves to be pushed around, no matter what. There are many deaths on both sides. There are people who resist. All I can say is that I hope this war will stop and all war criminals will be tried”.