“Witnesses. Captivity That Kills” film on Olenivka colony premiering at Sheffield DocFest in Britain

In Great Britain, the Archive of War team's documentary film "Witnesses. Captive That Kills" is set to make its international debut at the Sheffield DocFest. This screening, along with a discussion with the project's team, is included in a special lineup of films and discussions at the film festival, focused on the theme of the 2024 festival – Reflections on Reality.

Rubryka informs about this.

The events will be held immediately after the film's Ukrainian premiere at the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in June 2024, with the support of the UK/UA Creative Partnerships program.

Russian sources consistently place the blame for war crimes on Ukrainian forces, including the attack in Olenivka. During the night of July 28-29, 2022, a building housing Ukrainian prisoners of war was destroyed by an explosion. Testimonies from those inside the building are not available as they are either still in captivity or have passed away. Access to the explosion site was restricted, only allowing Russian media to enter. This video is a compilation of interviews with soldiers who were also captured in Olenivka, as well as with those waiting for their loved ones to be released from captivity. It also includes rare media coverage from Mariupol on these events.

Directors Maryna Roshchyna and Tetiana Symon talk about the film:

"Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the War Archives team has recorded more than 750 detailed interviews with witnesses to Russian war crimes. Our interviewees are usually people who witnessed the events firsthand.

 However, one day, Maria Alekseevich, the wife of a soldier of the Azov brigade who defended Mariupol, defended Azovstal and, together with his comrades, became an "honorable prisoner" at the end of May 2022, turned to us. Although Maria was not a direct witness to these events, she became her husband's voice, and he could not tell his story. We decided to record the stories of those who are fighting for the return of our soldiers from captivity and for whom time has stopped in constant waiting. This is how work on our film began.

 We also recorded interviews with military personnel who returned from captivity due to the exchange, which helped to create a more complete picture. The characters of the film are different, as are their experiences. But all of them are united by the history of the defense of Mariupol at the beginning of a full-scale war. And this story continues."

Following the screening of "Witnesses. Captivity That Kills", a panel of experts, including the War Archive project team, will discuss the use of eyewitness accounts, the ethical aspects of archival storage, and the potential of artificial intelligence in authenticating history.

Schedule of events:

• Archiving modernity: "Witnesses. Captivity that kills" + conversation

Date: Saturday, June 15

Time: 11:00 – 12:36

Location: Showroom – Warner Chappell Production Music Screen 4

Details: English subtitles throughout the show

Participants: Tetiana Symon (co-director – of "Witnesses. Captivity that Kills"), Rita Burkovska (co-director – of "Witnesses. Captivity that Kills"), Maria Tsypiashchuk (War Archive), Maksym Demydenko (War Archive) and Shane O'Sullivan (associate professor and head of the film and photography department)

Moderator: Aarif Abraham (lawyer, writer and speaker, specialist in international criminal law and public international law)

• "Witnesses. Captivity That Kills" + question and answer session

Date: Sunday, June 16

Time: 10:30 – 11:36

Location: Showroom – Screen 1

Details: English subtitles throughout the show

Question and answer session with director Tetiana Symon

Tickets can be booked via the link.

Both events – the film screening and the panel discussion – are supported by the UK/UA Creative Partnerships program, established by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute, to continue and strengthen cooperation between UK and Ukrainian cultural organizations after the UK/Ukraine Culture Season 2022-2023.

The War Archive is a non-profit, collaborative platform dedicated to digitally preserving materials related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Utilizing groundbreaking technology and methodologies, the platform is a valuable tool for Ukrainian and international organizations to accurately maintain and present the events in legal, historical, and cultural discussions. It seeks to establish the foundation of truth and justice.

For reference:

As reported, intelligence agencies believe that the killing of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka in the Donetsk region was organized by the mercenaries of the "Wagner" PMC on the personal instructions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, without coordinating it with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Security Service of Ukraine intercepted telephone conversations in which the invaders confirmed that Russian troops were responsible for the explosion in the occupied Olenivka colony, which killed at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners.

It should be noted that the United Nations created a commission to investigate the attack on the Ukrainian prison in Olenivka.