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| Photo ©Jan Lemiech |
The Philippines joins more than 30 countries in the worldwide screening of the film Ludzie (People) in commemoration of the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Directed by Polish filmmakers Maciej Ślesicki and Filip Hillesland, Ludzie is the first feature film about the war in Ukraine. The film features an all Ukrainian cast led by Afina Ostapenko, Mariia Shtofa, Oksana Cherkashyna, Tetiana Yurikova, and Nina Naboka as well as Cezart Pazura.
The film focuses on the lives of five women sharing the experience of war, emphasizing the women's point of view as well as their courage, strength, and perseverance which is often overlooked in films depicting military conflicts.
I have frequently announced my plans to stop making any more films, but something made me go back on my promise. Cruelty and bestiality of Russians who invaded Ukraine made me furious. I guess that this sense of helplessness and injustice, mixed with anger, are the best motivation for a film director to make a movie. The script I wrote is based on true events; all I had to do was to combine them into a whole. Civilians are the group most affected by absurdity and cruelty of war. The film is an attempt to help others see the war through their eyes.
- Maciej Ślesicki, producer and director
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| Photo ©Jan Lemiech |
At the end of the day, each global crisis translates into suffering of local ordinary people: mothers, sons, daughters, fathers, grandfathers, lovers and neighbours. This film is about them. They are suddenly forced to make unimaginable decisions of critical importance, where both life and human dignity are at stake. Unfortunately, we tend to forget about the fact that such tragic events take place every day beyond our Eastern border. We all have our own lives to live, our own reality and problems. It is normal that we grow indifferent with time. Now and then, empathy needs a booster. I hope that this film will provide this much needed stimulus. I hope it will trigger empathy.
- Filip Hillesland, director
The free public screening of Ludzie will be on February 24, 2025, 3:00 PM at Cinema 3 of Red Carpet Cinema, Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong.
Ludzie is produced by the Warsaw Film School and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The Philippine screening is presented by the Embassy of Poland in Manila, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Philippines, the Delegation of the European Union in the Philippines, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the Shangri-La Plaza.
Ludzie | People (2024)
Directors: Maciej Ślesicki, Filip Hillesland
Cast: Mariia Shtofa, Cezary Pazura, Oksana Cherkashyna, Afina Ostapenko, Daniel Dziubynskyi, Hryhorii Horobchuk, Tetyana Yurikova, Nina Naboka, Oleksandr Yarema
When war breaks out in Ukraine, five women are forced to take up a desperate fight to save themselves and their loved ones. A doctor who faces a huge moral dilemma. A blind girl who becomes a carer for a group of orphans. A teenager who tries to save her little sister at all costs. An elderly woman who loses her husband after many years of living together. A mother who goes to the front to find her son. Their intertwined fates combine into a symbolic story about humanity, and remind us that war is just around the corner.
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