🎥 On Tuesday, September 24, the French premiere of the Ukrainian documentary Intercepted will take place, a film supported by the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) and ARTE, as part of the Génération Ukraine project.
🇫🇷 The screening is organized with the support of the French Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of Ukraine in France, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute in France.
🪖🇷🇺 In this powerful documentary, Ukrainian filmmaker Oksana Karpovych offers a striking portrayal of life during the war in Ukraine. Through silent footage of Ukrainians attempting to resume daily life after the Russian army’s passage, she juxtaposes these moments with the raw audio of intercepted phone calls between Russian soldiers and their families, obtained by Ukrainian intelligence services.
🗣📱 These conversations expose a grim facet of the war: Russian soldiers speak openly of torture and place blame on Ukrainians — whom they refer to with the derogatory term “khokhols” — for everything from poverty and the Covid-19 pandemic to livestock disease. These words reveal the deep-rooted indoctrination and propaganda that shape their worldview. Many soldiers, emotionally detached from the conflict, show complete insensitivity toward the horrors they commit or endure. Enticed by government promises of money to enlist, they are often met with broken pledges.
The screening of Intercepted offers a rare opportunity to confront this brutal reality — not just through images, but also through the dehumanizing narratives that accompany the war. The film underscores how Russian soldiers’ minds are manipulated, turning them into instruments of a propaganda machine.
Produced in collaboration between Canada, France, and Ukraine, Intercepted premiered at the Berlinale and is among the five films nominated for the prestigious European LUX Audience Award. Its production brought together French and Ukrainian artists and technicians in close cooperation, further strengthening cultural and professional ties between the two countries.
🎞 Director Oksana Karpovych will be present at the screening to discuss the making of this film, which strikes a powerful balance between the ordinary moments of daily life and the psychological violence of intercepted conversations. Her work reminds us that the war waged by Russia is not only military, but also a war of images and disinformation.
🇺🇦 Stand With Ukraine will also be present at the screening and will engage with many leading figures from the French and Ukrainian cultural scenes to discuss ongoing initiatives supporting Ukrainian cinema in France.
