Frankly speaking about “Cyborgs”: press conference for the film “Home Guard”
Sergei Tokarev: “The world should see an alternative version of what is happening in the Donbass.”
On March, 27th, 2018 at 10:00 in the press center of the Donetsk news agency a press conference dedicated to the forthcoming release of the documentary film “Home guard” for a wide-range will be held. The movie is unique as it is made of amateur footage of fighters of the Donetsk People’s Republic, who participated in the battles near Debaltsevo, in Ilovaisk and Donetsk airport.
“Modern technology allows us to get a picture of high quality without attracting expensive moviemakers. Besides our goal was to tell a simple human narrative in person, and not to impress everyone with special effects. Unfortunately, the war gives rise to incredibly bright images that forever cut into memory, and we have the material that has been shot not in pavilions as it actually is in a propaganda film “Cyborgs”, but in the line”, said producer Sergei Tokarev.
The film writer is inspired by the desire to show everything as is, through the eyes of the inhabitants of Donbass, who took up arms because of the voice of the heart, and therefore they are the people’s forces and not mercenaries. Therefore, there are no actors in the film, and rare monologues and dialogues are played.
Half of the film shows the exteriors from the battlefields and those areas where the Armed Forces of Ukraine came to, and the other half was filmed in the peaceful territories of the DPR. “There is a misconception that the modern DNR is a quasi-state, that in areas beyond Ukraine’s control, there is a mess and riot, and therefore it is impossible to hold legal elections on this territory. When my friend and long-term business partner came to me with the idea to support the project “Home guard”, it seemed to me that this was a senseless waste of money. On the other hand, I have a Russian passport, I have been doing business in Ukraine for a long time, and therefore I decided that it is necessary to be consistent in my convictions: since I sincerely believe that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are brothers, my duty is to show the world that in the east of Ukraine there is a civil war of those people who share my views against the ineffective Ukrainian authorities,” said Rustam Gilfanov, co-founder of Lucky Labs and the second producer of the project.
The film “Home guard” was created exclusively at the expense of private funds, actually thanks to the support of only two people – Sergei Tokarev and Rustam Gilfanov. Given that the movie wasn’t intended as commercial, and the producers were simply inspired by the story and wanted to do it, it becomes clear the zeal of the Ukrainian authorities to prevent the Lucky Labs’ developing. So, in 2016 the company and both its shareholders were included in the sanctions list of Ukraine.
The “Home guard” release is scheduled for the 7th of August – the anniversary of the victorious battles near Ilovaisk. The film’s creative group is sure that their project has all the chances to be nominated for international film festivals. They’ve already applied for the Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam, despite the fact that the application deadline is the 1st of May.
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Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.
