Doc festival explores toll of Russian aggression

The human toll of Russia’s military aggression and Putin’s war on independent journalism are explored in films to be showcased at the upcoming Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TDF).

The screenings were announced Friday by organizers of the March 10-20 event, amid Russia’s ongoing incursion into Ukraine.

Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont, whose first, Oscar-shortlisted 2017 feature “The Distant Barking of Dogs” won the Award for Best First Appearance at IDFA and the TDF’s 2018 Golden Alexander, returns to eastern Ukraine with a fraught chronicle of life at a temporary home for neglected children. “A House Made of Splinters” will make its international premiere in Thessaloniki. 

“Trenches,” the debut film of French war journalist Loup Bureau, documents life on the front lines of the armed conflict in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling Russia-backed separatists since 2014.

“F@ck this Job” tells the story of Russia’s independent-minded media outlet Dozhd TV (TV Rain). Since its launch in 2010 by former Moscow socialite Natalya Sindeyeva, the station, which has been declared by Russia’s Justice Ministry a “foreign agent,” has broadcast critical reporting of the Putin regime and even covered anti-government protests. The documentary was made by Russian filmmaker Vera Krichevskaya, co-founder of the station.

The festival, currently in its 24th edition, makes a full return to live screenings of international and local productions after being disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The main theme for this year is “post-reality,” with films that seek to delve into the human and social impacts of the pandemic.

Films will be screened at the main Olympion and Pavlos Zannas theaters in Aristotelous Square and the industrial port complex. The full lineup of screenings will be announced soon.

For more information, visit the festival website.