Ukraine deserves a better conversation in the world
It is enough of all those stupid stereotypes. Ukraine is the biggest country in Europe and the least understood.
Kyiv, the nation’s capital, has to be one of the best-kept secrets in the world. And to anyone who knows this place, there was the view that Ukraine’s capital was on track to be one of the hot spots of Europe in the next five years. The place was booming (even with all the problems Ukraine was facing, like corruption, old Soviet mentality, etc.). Creativity and entrepreneurship were on the rise, and you often would hear that Kyiv was the next Berlin.
In 2018 we started shooting a documentary about modern life in Kyiv. We had met many tech entrepreneurs in Kyiv and this was our starting point. The world of innovation and creativity in Ukraine’s magical capital of Kyiv. What became evident during our film making in 2018 and 2019 was that the negative stereotypes that haunt Ukraine needed to be challenged. And so we focused on a fresh narrative — the people of Ukraine, in particular, Kyiv, and what makes them so unique. We had half a film by the start of the pandemic, and then in 2022, as mask wearing came to an end, we thought it was all systems go again. But bombs fell out of the sky on the 24th of February that year and we knew life had changed. And of course, our film had to change too. This was no longer a story about the people of Ukraine redefining their identity. It was a story about survival — about a country’s struggle to defend its language, traditions and culture from a neighbour hell-bent on destroying it. Now, it was more important than ever to try and capture the spirit of modern Ukraine.
Having already interviewed a diverse group of citizens before the war, we were in a fortunate position. We had an opportunity to see how the lives of our characters had changed: a chef, a painter, a computer programmer, a tech entrepreneur, a lawyer, a property developer, a filmmaker, a professor, a games developer, a pig farmer, an IT executive, a fragrance shop owner and a real estate broker. Were these people going to run for the hills, or would they remain defiant? Would they crumble, or would they resist?
“We Are Ukraine” is a story about ordinary people in an extraordinary time. People who have chosen to continue to work, get married, have babies — to continue to live, and laugh, against all odds. This is not a war story. This is not a story about death and demise. This is a story about life — a story that will make you laugh, cry and realise that, in the end, people in Ukraine are the same like those folk from any modern, free nation.
Our film is a love letter to Kyiv. It shows us what the world will miss out on if Kyiv ceases to exist. Kyiv, and the rest of Ukraine, is soulful. There is something magical here that is worth protecting. Worth nurturing. Worth investing in.
