Caption : This picture was taken after Russian bombardment at a Children and Maternity Hospital in Mariupol – A mother with a minor can be seen injured and looking for help – The movie covers the heart bleeding story of another woman who was about to give birth but both were died )
Tazeen Akhtar / Islamabad / Pakistan
Pakistan is neutral in Russia Ukraine conflict but the date 18 Sep 2024 has a significance as the date 24 Feb 2022 had when Russia invaded Ukraine and the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Imran Khan was with President Putin at Kremlin. 18 Sep 2024 is a date when Russian Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Alexei Overchuk was in Islamabad on official visit and Ukraine Embassy succeeded in screening the Oscar Award documentary movie “20 Days in Mariupol” in Islamabad .
Pakistan as the Chair of the Council of Heads of Government of Shanghai Cooperation Organization from 2023 to 2024 is poised to host the summit in the mid of next month in which Russian Prime Minister’s participation is expected. Russian DPM’s visit is in the same connection. At this important juncture the screening of a movie “20 Days in Mariupol” by the Ukraine Embassy Islamabad in collaboration with Alliance Franchise Islamabad is no doubt a success of the Embassy.
Ms Oksana from the Embassy and Mr. Ali Bhatti of AF briefed the guests about the movie and the circumstances in which it was pictured.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Pakistan Mr. Markian Chuchuk along with his team was present at the occasion. To a question from this scribe on the screening of the movie at more places for more audience , Ambassador replied , ” We would love to do that and at a proper time it can be done.”
While addressing the participants, the Ambassador said, “The film you’re about to watch depicts a specific episode in the aggressive war Russia has been waging against Ukraine since February 24, 2022. I must emphasize that this is just one fragment of a much larger tragedy.”
“The overall consequences of the war are devastating. Hundreds of thousands of lives—both military and civilian, including women and children—have been lost. Millions have been displaced, forced to flee their homes and become refugees or internally displaced persons. Once vibrant and full of life, nearly all major Ukrainian cities now bear the scars of indiscriminate missile and drone attacks. Some smaller towns along the frontline lie in ruins, Mr. Chuchuk shared.
However, Ambassador said, it’s crucial to recognize Ukraine’s extraordinary resilience. Despite being vastly outmatched by a nuclear-armed power with significantly greater economic and military resources, Ukraine has steadfastly held its ground. This achievement stands as a testament to the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people, as well as the effectiveness of international support.
Ambassador expressed his feelings of love for French and Francophone classical literature. He said, In my younger years, one of my favorites was “The Legend of Till Eulenspiegel,” a novel by Belgian writer Charles De Coster.The main character, Thyl Eulenspiegel, often repeats the refrain: “The ashes of Klaas beat against my breast.” This line refers to the ashes of his father, Klaas, who was executed by being burned at the stake on false allegations. Thyl carries his father’s ashes in a small bag near his heart, and this refrain becomes a symbol of his ongoing remembrance and vow to seek justice and fight for freedom.
Mr. Chuchuk making a connection between “The Legend of Till Eulenspiegel,” and the tragedy of Mariupol, said, it is a pain that Ukrainians will carry throughout their entire lives. The ashes of Mariupol beat against our breasts.
Finally, Ambassador concluded, “We also hope that Pakistan will not remain indifferent to the suffering of the Ukrainian people and will join international efforts to achieve a just and sustainable peace based on respect for international law. Pakistan-Ukraine dosti zindabad! [Long live Pakistan-Ukraine friendship!]
The Ambassador appreciated Mr. Ali Batti and the exceptional team at Alliance France for their efforts. He also offered heartfelt thanks to Mr. Shahid Rafiq of Trojans Company, whose generous sponsorship has made this event possible.
The movie screening was well attended by diplomats, civil society and media persons who interacted with Ms Vasilisa Stepanenko co-producer and Ukrainian journalist via online. Pakistanis asked questions about her eye witness account there and expressed their interest in the work done by the team.
According to all available information about the movie , The film “20 Days in Mariupol” was released on January 21, 2023. On March 11, 2024, it received an Oscar for Best Documentary. It was shot inside the besieged port city.
It is directed by Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian journalist. In an interview with the Guardian, Chernov described the film as “some kind of collective resistance to tragedy”.
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival,where it won the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition. It was selected as the Ukrainian submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, but it was instead nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category and went on to win the award. The film was also nominated for two BAFTAs and won one of them,also won a Directors Guild of America Award.
The film has received critical acclaim and was named one of the top five documentary films of 2023 by the National Board of Review. The film was also screened at the start of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
Vasilisa Stepanenko co-producer of the movie is a Ukrainian journalist and video producer. In 2023, she shared the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service with Evgeniy Maloletka, Mstyslav Chernov, and Lori Hinnant for her work with the Associated Press covering the conflict.
Stepanenko started working as a freelancer with the Associated Press in January 2022.In February and March 2022, during the escalation, the Associated Press staff member Mstyslav Chernov, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, and Stepanenko, freelancers working for AP, stayed in Mariupol, which was encircled by the Russian troops, under siege, and extensively bombed, whereas the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Defense Ministry claimed that Russia only targets military installations.
Chernov, Maloletka, and Stepanenko were among the few journalists, and, according to the AP, the only international journalists in Mariupol during that period, and their photographs were extensively used by Western media to cover the situation. Stepanenko acted as videoproducer.
She was available for sharing her observations and experiences of living in Mariupol during the Russian attacks and destruction of a humming city. AF Islamabad amicably arranged the movie screening as well as the interaction of Vasilisa Stepanenko with Pakistani spectators on the eve of 18 Sep 2024 when on the other side Russian DPM was having meetings with Foreign Minister, Army Chief and other high officials of Pakistan in Islamabad.
Pakistani guests watched the movie with full attention as the movie has been pictured and the situation has been portrayed in such a factual and actual way that grabs the spectators from the start to the end of the movie. The movie is expressing to the maximum the hardships of the citizens of Mariupol during the war.
