Statement on the Lunenburg Doc Festival screening of “Russians at War”

Sept 18th, 2024

The Lunenburg Doc Fest has a long and proud history of using film to bring audiences into unfamiliar places and situations. We did that last year, when we were one of the first audiences to see the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in “20 Days in Mariupol”, a film that went on from Lunenburg to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Our volunteer film programming team reviewed over 400 films before selecting the 15 diverse entries that make up this year’s festival. The final selection was based on the quality of the story telling and its relevance to our audience.

The film “Russians at War” was selected to provide further insight into a tragic conflict which is still ongoing. While not a comprehensive study of the invasion, it does provide a window to observe the devastating impact of distant political decisions on the lives of less powerful individuals. In another selection, “Porcelain War” we will see the how determined individual Ukrainian men and women continue to create art, while being subjected to the chaos of the war.

The decision to exhibit these films was based on their merits and fit with our programming objectives. We look forward to welcoming audiences to the festival.

Bruce MacCormack

Chair of the Board

Lunenburg Doc Festival