NP-UN Western Bureau.
A riveting documentary about the political trial of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov was presented by Nestor Petriw and Pyretic Productions in Edmonton, July 15.
Entitled “The Trial: the State of Russia v Oleg Sentsov”, the film by director Askold Kurov is a horrific Kafka-esque story of torture, state-sponsored cruelty, cowardice and redemption.
It follows Sentsov’s ensnarement in a mis-managed Secret Police investigation, his refusal to succumb to torture and his defiance in the face of a ruthless state police apparatus bent on crushing free speech and political opposition.
Sentsov is a Euromaidan activist and native of Crimea, who first came to the attention of the international film world when he triumphed with his film Gaamer (Gamer) at the 2012 Rotterdam Film Festival. He is now a Ukrainian political prisoner held in Russia.
On May 14 Sentsov began a hunger strike to protest against the politically motivated jailing of 64 Ukrainians in the Russian Federation and calling for their release. As of the time of this writing, he still maintains his strike.
The film follows the progress of the trial and the attempts of Oleg’s family, friends and lawyers to obtain justice and save him from prison.
It contains some remarkable footage including Sentsov’s defiant concluding statement in which he stated the greatest sin is cowardice and called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “bloodthirsty dwarf”.
“There was a man named Pontius Pilate. After he had sat on the moon for many years, he thought about what he had done. Then, when he was forgiven, he walked along a moonbeam and said to Ha-Notsri (Hebrew name for Jesus of Nazareth): ‘You know, you were right. The greatest sin on Earth is cowardice.’ This was written by the great Russian writer [Mikhail] Bulgakov in his novel The Master And Margarita. And I agree with him. Cowardice is the main and the worst sin on Earth. Betrayal is a personal form of cowardice,” stated Sentsov, as translated by Robert Coalson of Radio Liberty.
“A big betrayal sometimes begins with a small act of cowardice. Like when they put a bag over your head and beat you and after half an hour you are ready to renounce all your convictions and accuse yourself of anything, to accuse others, just so they will stop beating you. I don’t know what your convictions are worth if you aren’t ready to suffer for them or even to die.
“I am very glad that Gena Afanasev (a witness for the prosecution who renounced his original testimony against Sentsov and said it had been given under torture) was able to overcome his fear. He lost himself, but in the end he understood that there was still a chance. And he took a courageous and righteous step. I was very surprised by this and I am glad for him,” he added.
Sentsov was arrested in May, 2014, less than two months after Russia occupied Crimea. He was convicted on trumped up charges of conspiracy to commit terror attacks by a Russian military court in 2015 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The case against him was largely seen as a retribution for his views, and Ukrainian authorities and art circles have mounted a worldwide campaign for his release.
This notorious case has inspired protests around the world: the European Film Academy and many renowned filmmakers such as Pedro Almodovar, Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, Ken Loach, Johnny Depp and others called for Oleg’s release.
The film continues to be shown all over the world with the hope of increasing the strength and impact of Sentsov’s cause. Anyone wishing to arrange a screening, should contact the distribution company Rise and Shine. The rights to the film are free as long as the screening is only accepting donations for tickets to the event.
Here is the vimeo link where one can stream the documentary.
Following the screening at the Princess Theatre, there was a panel discussion concerning the importance of global freedom of artistic expression, Oleg Sentsov, the situation in Ukraine, and why this is important to not only Ukrainians, but to Canadians and the rest of the global community.
The panelists included: Jars Balan (moderator) – Director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, and coordinator of the Kule Ukrainian Canadian Studies Centre; Renee Vaugeois – Executive Director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights; Dr. Roman Petryshyn – Activist and Founding Director of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre at MacEwan University and Beth Mackenzie Locally based Documentary Filmmaker and Social Activist with a background in Comparative Religious Studies.
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