MARIINKA

In the town of Mariinka in Eastern Ukraine, the film traces several young Ukrainians whose lives have been forever shaped by over ten years of war and conflict in the Donbas. A story about belonging, national loyalty and the fault lines where political conflicts trump even the bonds of blood.

Amidst the war a promising boxing talent turns military paramedic. A girl is smuggling unexpected goods across the frontline to survive. And as in a Greek tragedy, two brothers now fight on opposite sides of the front line – against each other – while their youngest brother lives in safety far from the war with a foster family in the United States. Through letters, video calls and silent meetings, a story unfolds about belonging, national loyalty and the fault lines where political conflicts can trump even the bonds of blood.

Mariinka begins long before the world watched the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, after which the town was completely destroyed by Russian soldiers. Shot on 16mm and nine years in the making, Mariinka is the second feature documentary by Pieter-Jan de Pue after the highly praised The Land of the Enlightened (2016).