HOW WE BECAME MILITARY VOLUNTEERS by Larysa Artiugina, Oleksandra Chuprina @ Municipal Library (Prague, CZ)
Як ми стали добровольцями (Documentary, Ukraine). This screening was part of the One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, and took place on 10/03/2016, 17:00
As I mentioned in a previous entry, I have been living in Prague over a year now. Despite this, Prague still holds many secrets, even some that would be blatantly obvious. I had never, up to now, been to the Municipal Library and I did not know that they screened films in there. It is quite a beautiful, clean environment, and not only do they screen films, but they also have two screening rooms, a small one and a big one. But I can tell you, having been in both, that to me there did not seem to be too much difference.
And so, here is another place in Prague where I can get my film fix.
How We Became Military Volunteers was a choice I made specifically because I knew there would be guests attending. My underwhelming reporting track record at this festival usually annoys me if by the end of the second day I only have one interview, but here I was on the fourth day and only one interview still. I went to this film even though it didn't inspire me so much. I couldn't find it on imdb.com, and there didn't seem to be much information about it. I also feared it might get too political, nationalist on me, and I was simply not in the mood to debate or face a whole interview about it.
The reason why I did not get the interview in the end was that I wasn't even sure who was the filmmaker out of the ones that were on stage for a Q and A session at the end of it, which yes, I did say behind for and hated. But at least, the beauty of attending these sessions in a non-English speaking country is that you only listen to the parts in your own language, and check e-mails, reply messages and so on for the parts that you can't understand.
So, the film is a collage of the individuals who voluntarily enrol in the Ukranian Army. I am not the biggest expert on the topic, given the fact that clear information was always hard to get on this particular topic. But I have always maintained that the way other countries behaved while the crisis was happening was just shocking. Therefore, I actually liked to hear that ordinary, clear headed people were trying to take matters in their own hands. The only problem is that I got slightly uncomfortable when things got a little too nationalistic. I have a natural hate for war, so I couldn't fully convey the message or agree with it, despite my sympathies leaning towards Ukraine, naturally.
Oh, no, I didn't get the interview in the end. I actually left before the Q and A was over. Sometimes, life is too short.