| Director: | Anastasia Trofimova |
|---|---|
| Production: | Capa Presse (Sally Blake, Philippe Levasseur), Raja Pictures (Cornelia Principe, Anastasia Trofimova) |
| Running Time: | 129’ |
| Language: | Russian |
| Country: | France, Canada |
| Screenplay: | Anastasia Trofimova, Roland Schlimme |
| Cinematographer: | Anastasia Trofimova |
| Editor: | Roland Schlimme |
| Music: | Amine Bouhafa |
| Sound: | Anastasia Trofimova, Olivier Dandré, Matthieu Gasnier |
Cinema
Russians at war
Out of Competition
Synopsis
Anastasia Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian filmmaker, gains unprecedented access to follow a Russian Army battalion in Ukraine. Without any official clearance or permits, she earns the trust of foot soldiers and embeds herself over the span of a year with one battalion as it makes its way across Eastern Ukraine. What she discovers is far from the propaganda and labels pushed by the East or the West: an army in disarray, soldiers disillusioned and often struggling to understand what they are fighting for.
Director's statement
I set out to make Russians at War as a desperate search to understand my birth country and my people. In 2022, as many of my friends and colleagues fled Russia, I set out for answers in the best way I know how – through film. As most eyes were on Ukraine and the horror and devastation the war unleashed on the country and its people, I focused my lens on those most of the world had not seen before—Russian soldiers. My hope is that their stories add to a deeper understanding of this senseless and traumatic war. While we have made an anti-war film, I understand that, within the current geopolitical context, our film might be subject to attacks and agendas beyond its scope. I also understand and empathize with the pain and anger that the subject matter may provoke in those who have suffered from this conflict. But I sincerely hope that seeing one another could be the first step to understanding and finding common ground because perpetual war cannot be the answer. Russians at War is not a historical examination of the war’s reasons, but a real-time witness to a side previously unseen. It is my attempt to touch the face of my country through the fog of war, like a blind child trying to recognize her mother.
Production/Distribution
PRODUCTION 1: Sally Blake, Philippe Levasseur - Capa Presse/ Films à Cinq*
123 Boulevard de Grenelle
75015, Paris, France
Tel. 33 (0)689150857
sblake@filmsacinq.com
*A Newen Studios Company
PRODUCTION 2: Cornelia Principe Anastasia Trofimova - Raja Pictures Inc
Tel. 1 4163991228
corneliaprincipe@yahoo.ca
WORLD SALES:
Gersende Facchini – Newen Studios
Tel. 33 0621614852
salesraw24@gmail.com
PRESS OFFICE:
pressraw24@gmail.com
