A documentary : winter on fire
IMAGE FROM IMDB SITE
An extract of winter on fire
Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion is woven from a thousand and one reasons and motivations. One of them dates back to 2013-2014 when Ukrainian students, in favor of bringing Ukraine closer to Europe, rose up, dragging the rest of the population in their wake. The 93 days of Euromaidan led to the resignation of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. The documentary filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky made it a film nominated for the Oscar for best documentary in 2016. Since then, he has signed another film: freedom on fire. Warning: frontal violence!
winter on fire is available on Netflix.
A series of interviews: Putin and the Presidents
IMAGE PROVIDED BY PBS
Putin and the Presidents
Since his accession to the head of Russia, Vladimir Putin has seen five presidents of the United States: Bill Clinton, George Bush Jr., Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. He did not leave them with a great memory. “Putin is saying falsehood after falsehood,” drops the current US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. But Putin is not alone to blame, says director Michael Kirk, who says the lack of firmness and the errors of judgment of the American leaders led to the current situation.
A podcast: War in Ukraine, the podcast
IMAGE PROVIDED BY RADIO FRANCE
War in Ukraine, the podcast
Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, Radio France offers in this podcast a summary of the situation in Ukraine with the collaboration of journalists in the field from France Info, France Inter and France Culture. Each show lasts 15 to 20 minutes.
A podcast: Putin, the Soviet Tsar
IMAGE PROVIDED BY FRANCE INTER
Putin, the Soviet Tsarit’s almost five hours devoted to the life, the rise to power and the ambition of the indelible Russian president.
For those who want to immerse themselves, literally, in the long historical process that led to the current situation, this France Inter podcast, available in five episodes of 54 minutes each, is a first-rate source. Surrounded by a solid research team, the author, journalist and narrator Philippe Collin describes the rise to power of President Vladimir Putin since this Friday, December 31, 1999 when his predecessor Boris Yeltsin announced his resignation and appointed Mr. Putin as leader… interim until the next election.
A podcast of 24 pictures
PHOTO FROM IMDB
In his review of Ukrainian films, Elijah Baron mentions among other things Donbass by Sergey Loznitsa. “A rather terrifying black comedy about a world turned upside down under the occupation of pro-Russian separatists”, notes the critic of 24 pictures.
A podcast of the magazine 24 pictures provides an overview of the last 10 years of Ukrainian and Russian films which, according to critic Elijah Baron, “now appear very clearly as a preamble to this war and unfortunately communicate how inevitable this conflict was”. He thus notes that five of the last six films submitted by Ukraine for the Oscar for best international film deal with the war. While the last four films submitted by Russia before 2014 (Crimean invasion) are WWII stories. “It’s not a coincidence,” believes the critic.
Photography: The Unbreakable Project
IMAGE PROVIDED BY UAPP
An image from the Unbreakable virtual gallery
In essence, the website of the Association of Ukrainian Professional Photographers (UAPP) is not dedicated to the war. But one of its parts is interested in it. The Unbreakable virtual gallery presents itself as the chronicle of the war in Ukraine by the country’s best documentarians. A few clicks take us to the heart of the exhibition, which can be visited freely or by taking a guided tour. The information on each photo, on the other hand, is minimal.
A comic: The Ukrainian Notebooks: Diary of an Invasion
IMAGE PROVIDED BY FUTUROPOLIS
The Diary of an Invasion is a creation of the artist Igort
The war in Ukraine also invites itself into comics for adults thanks to the initiative of the cartoonist and Italian cartoonist Igort (Igor Tuveri of his real name). Continuing its series of notebooks, the latter will soon offer The Ukrainian Notebooks: Diary of an Invasion at Futuropolis. The summary of the book suggests that the author gives voice to “ordinary people who live and suffer the consequences of a senseless and brutal war”. The book has already appeared in Europe where Read Magazine speaks of a “tremendous graphic novel”.
Released in Quebec in February
A biography : Volodymyr Zelensky: Inside the Mind of a Hero
IMAGE PROVIDED BY ROBERT LAFFONT
The biography Volodymyr Zelensky: Inside the Mind of a Hero
To learn more about the Ukrainian president, read the biography Volodymyr Zelensky: Inside the Mind of a Hero by Régis Genté and Stéphane Siohan, published by Robert Laffont. The authors are two independent journalists, one living in Georgia, the second in Kyiv. In an interview with 20 minutes, the authors claim to have wanted to avoid emotion and show a “positive and remarkable hero” while “also telling his faults”. This reading was part of the suggestions of Dominique Arel, holder of the chair in Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, during a lecture in the Les belles heures series at the Université de Montréal.
In bookstores and at BAnQ