The latest film by German director Jacob Preuss about life in Donetsk has received the highest praise – not just from film critics.
Berlin-born Preuss managed to capture this industrial city in all its contrasts – the luxury of the political and business elites and the poverty of local coal miners.
Speaking at the premiere of “The Other Chelsea – A Story from Donetsk” in March, Valentyna Sulko, who has worked as a mine operator for 20 years and played one of the lead parts in the movie, said the film was an insightful reflection of life: “We work very hard but enjoy our time as well.”
The 35-year-old director called his documentary a reference to English soccer club Chelsea, which was the beneficiary of the largesse of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, much as Shakhtar Donetsk has blossomed under Ukrainian billionaire and lawmaker Rinat Akhmetov.
Donetsk miners are lead characters in the documentary ‘The Other Chelsea — A Story from Donetsk.’ (Courtesy)
During the time period shown in the movie, Shakhtar wins UEFA Cup, and Akhmetov opens a $440-million stadium, the Donbass Arena.
However, the documentary is not actually about football. In the movie, 55-year-old Oleksander Shukin, or Sasha, has been working at Putylivska coal mine for 30 years and has been a fan of Donetsk Shakhtar for almost all his life.
Because of the miniscule wages and dangerous work, Sasha does not want his grandson to follow in his footsteps and become a miner; he wants him to become a football player for Shakhtar.
Miner Volodymyr Kiyan, 67, has already buried his son after a mining accident. Yet he continues going underground in a run-down mine and tries to enjoy life together with other miners.
Miners starring in the movie came to Kyiv for its premiere at the documentary film festival Docudays UA.
German director Jacob Preuss (R) attends his movie screening in the German Embassy in Kyiv on March 29 (Olexiy Furman).
“The director worked with us a lot, almost two years,” miner Leonid Lukych said. “What he has filmed is really true. Everything in the movie is shown so naturally.”
It’s the first time we saw the true face of those in power.”
– Serhiy Bukovsky, Ukrainian director.
In contrast to miners, 31-year-old Mykola Levchenko, secretary of Donetsk city council and a member of the pro-presidential Party of Regions, has several cars, a luxuriously furnished apartment and a beautiful blonde fiancé. Like Donetsk miners, Levchenko also comes to the stadium when Shakhtar plays, but the young politician sits high above their heads in a VIP box.
A portrait of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin can be seen in Levchenko’s office.
The deputy himself does not always pick up the landline while at work but finds time to discuss curtains for his new house, which he’s been building in a Donetsk’ suburb. He describes how he owns a construction business in Donetsk – which is not permitted as he is a public official. But the next scene denies his earlier words, saying he has already left the company.
“It’s the first time we saw the true face of those in power,” said Ukrainian director Serhiy Bukovsky after the screening. “The camera in a documentary movie is like an X-ray machine: If someone lies, everybody can see it.”
Secretary of the Donetsk City Council Mykola Levchenko
Ukrainian journalist Yegor Sobolev who co-hosted the premiere in Kyiv said that local reporters should do what German director had done.
The German director said, however, that he had not aimed to investigate the Ukrainian authorities but to show the phenomenon of Donetsk as it is.
Preuss believed he was able to capture his subject so well as he was a foreigner in Donetsk. Local people were interested in him and more eager to talk than with a Ukrainian director or journalist.
Preuss said Levchenko flew to Berlin while the movie was being edited and wanted to buy a copyright for the film. The director refused. The deputy refused to comment on the movie to Kyiv Post.
The documentary has been successfully touring film festivals across Europe since last year. This summer the movie will be broadcast in Germany, Israel, Finland and Sweden. The next screening in Ukraine will take place in Donetsk later this month.
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Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Faryna can be reached at [email protected].
