SIGNS OF WAR

After years of working in the Dutch parliament, photographer Pierre Crom decides that "it might be more interesting to follow the results of their political decisions instead of making propaganda for politicians". In February 2014, he travelled to Crimea in Ukraine on a one-way plane ticket, one day before its annexation by Russia. From then on, he found himself in the middle of a rapidly escalating conflict and decided to stay. The start of the war in Sloviansk, the crash of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the tank battle in Debaltseve - he manages to gain access to the most important historical stages of this war. Although “lucky" as a photographer. Pierre had to confront violent events on a scale that he could never have imagined before.

THE FILMMAKERS

Juri Rechinsky is a director, editor, and writer. Born in Turkmenistan and raised in Ukraine, he has been living in Vienna since 2013. His documentary SICKFUCKPEOPLE (75', 2013, Novotny Film) and his feature film UGLY (92', 2017, Novotny Film/Pronto Film/Ulrich Seidl Film) have been screened at the IFF Rotterdam, Hot Docs, Sao Paolo Mostra, and DOK Leipzig. He has won several awards, including the Heart of Sarajevo, Raindance, Viennale, European Independent Film Festival, and DocsDF Mexico. He is a member of the European Film Academy.

Pierre Crom (born in 1967 in France) resides in the Netherlands. In his award-winning photo reports, he addresses geo/political and societal issues and collaborates with renowned international photo agencies (Getty Images, ANP, Hollandse Hoogte). Since 2014, Crom has documented the crisis in Ukraine, capturing historical moments such as the annexation of Crimea, the downing of passenger flight MH17, and violations of the ceasefire by Russia. He has received numerous awards for his work.

FESTIVALS

Best Austrian Film – The Filmfestival Viennale
Intl Human Rights Film Festival Albania (IHRFFA), Albania
Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film, Austria
Kraków Film Festival, Poland
Nancy International Film Festival, France
NNW International Film Festival Gdynia, Poland
CineCulture Film Series, US

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