“If truth is indeed stranger than fiction, where does fake news fit in? And in this sordid post-truth landscape, what does it mean to be a patriot? This cinematic Orwellian symphony of related, but not necessarily connected, true-life events sourced from newspapers, TV clips, and YouTube videos is Sergei Loznitsa’s masterpiece. Formed from vignettes using an ensemble cast, Donbass is an absurdist composition that depicts how the war for people’s hearts and minds is being fought and lost in Crimea.
Since 2014, following the events of Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, the ongoing war in Ukraine — sometimes fought with artillery, sometimes with bombardments of propaganda and bureaucracy — has been continuously raging between pro-Russian separatists loyal to Putin and nationals whose sympathies are with Europe, NATO, and the West. Regardless of region or alliance, memories of the Second World War and Stalinist purges and famines are close to the surface of the societal psyche, where there is no neutral position and apathy is not an option. Made in partnership with master cinematographer Oleg Mutu, this is Loznitsa’s most cutting political work to date. Teetering between laughter and tears, audiences are tempted to view as hyperbole things that are all too real. And although looking away from the horror is certainly tempting, Donbass is simply unmissable.” -Toronto International Film Festival
Special thanks to Film Movement for making this film available, and for donating 10% of gross ticket sales to the Ukraine Crisis Fund administered by Americares.
