A Radio Svoboda round-table discussion. War and Peace. The Ukrainian Experience

The panel will be joined by the authors whose films examine the armed conflict and the experience of the people whose country has chosen a way of development towards joining the European Union. This choice has cost a great deal to Ukraine, because the way opted by the Ukrainian nation has led to a conflict with Russia and having a part of their country annexed. Also, as the result of this choice the Ukrainian public has been itself divided into two camps whose boundaries often separate families.

The round table will discuss the following topics: the price of the ‘European Choice’, the price of the human life, and, of course, the position and responsibility of the covering documentarist. The debate will also touch upon the Latvian context, taking into account the “Russian question”, used by the BBC journalists in creating the film “WW3: Inside the War Room”.
Every author, whether from Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine or Russia, has their own personal experience and viewpoint on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and the way it has been covered, often controversially. The main panel will consist of seven participants; the debate will be moderated by the Radio Svoboda commentator and poet Elena Fanailova. Politicians, media professionals and civil rights activists are also encouraged to join the discussion.

The films to be discussed:

Ukrainian Sheriffs (Ukraine, Latvia; dir. R. Bondarchuk)
Alice in WARland (Poland, Ukraine; dir. A. Kovalenko, l. Durakova)
Mariupolis (Lithuania, France, Germany, Ukraine; dir. M. Kvedaravicius)
Close Relations (Latvia, Germany, Estonia, Ukraine; dir. V. Mansky)

Working language: Russian
Free entry

A round table organized by ARTDOCFEST/RIGA and the European Commission in Latvia.