The team behind Directors’ Fortnight title Militantropos wore dark outfits with mirror panels attached to walk the red carpet for the world premiere of their film in Cannes this morning to make a statement about the ongoing war in Ukraine, on the red carpet
Directors Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi and Yelizaveta and their colleagues wore the mirrors to “let others see themselves in us” before heading in to the Theatre Croisette for the 08.45 CEST screening of the documentary about ordinary people transformed by the war, including those who leave Ukraine, those who lose everything, and those who stay to resist and fight.
The team then issued a statement following the red carpet
Militantropos team statement
We are the team of the film Militantropos, a film about the transformation of a human inside the war. We walk in front of the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival not to be seen, but to let others see themselves in us.
Our outfits are inlaid with mirrors. They reflect the faces of journalists, policemen, tourists, stars - everyone who surrounds the image industry. These reflections are a direct invitation to look into yourselves: what do you see when you look at war? When you look at us? When you look at each other?
Ukraine is not a distant landscape, not an exotic Background, not “other” war. It is here, in your field of vision, in every mirror in Europe. There is no neutrality in the face of war - there is only a position that is reflected in each of you.
This is not just a film. This is not just a gesture. This is a call to action. The mirror is in front of you.
What do you see?
Militantropos is produced by Ukraine’s Tabor Productions with France’s Les Valseurs and Austria’s Mischief Films.
It is the latest Ukrainian film about the war to screen at the festival, after Sergei Loznitsa’s The Invasion in Special Screenings last year and Maksym Nakonechyi’s Butterfly Vision in Un Certain Regard in 2022.
The increased conflict between Ukraine and Russia began on February 24, 2022, following Russia’s invasion of the country; and has now entered its fourth year.
Political issues have been prominent at this year’s Cannes, with Donald Trump’s tariffs a key discussion point at both the festival and market.
The two films jointly leading the Screen jury grid, Sergei Loznista’s Two Prosecutors and Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, have overtly political themes.
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