Director of the film about Maidan - about the world premiere of “Netflix” and work with Oscar-winning colleagues

Director Evgeny Afineevsky has been working on the film “Winter in Fire” for almost two years. Photo by Vera Ivanova

October 9 the world's largest video service “Netflix” released the premiere - a documentary about the Ukrainian Maidan “Winter is on fire” director Evgeny Afineevsky.

Many films have been made about the tragic events of the winter of 2013-2014, when the Ukrainians overthrew President Viktor Yanukovych at the cost of bloodshed and huge human casualties (some of them even nominated for an Emmy Award this year). However, Afineevsky's film is different from others. Firstly, it is understandable and interesting to the American audience. Secondly, the quality of the video, editing, graphics and script is beyond praise. For example, the editor before “Winter on Fire” worked on “The Social Network” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” In a word - everything is on the level. After all, this film is an original Netflix project.

This video service broadcasts popular films and shows on the Internet, and also shoots its own pictures (for example, the TV series "House of cards" with Kevin Spacey). Almost every American family subscribes to Netflix; the service's audience in fifty countries around the world exceeds 50 million people. So, obviously, this particular documentary will meet an unusual fate for this kind of film.

American-Israeli director Evgeny Afineevsky worked on “Winter on Fire” for almost two years - the video was transmitted bit by bit by witnesses of the events, professional cameramen and TV channels. Born in Russian Kazan and emigrated first to Israel and then to the USA, the director does not hide his affection for Ukraine and even understands the language a little. True, with a caveat: when it comes to political affairs, he doesn’t understand a word. He claims that his main goal was not to lose the documentary accuracy of the development of events and to show the 93 days of Maidan, until the moment of ex-President Yanukovych’s escape, without embellishment. Eyewitnesses speak about them: there is no voice-over text in the film, only videos and stories of witnesses and participants in the events.

Afineevsky managed, perhaps, the impossible - not to put out his directorial “I” and “unique vision”. With mathematical, if not surgical, accuracy, Aphineevsky dispenses plans and does not spread by thought along the tree - the film is both dramatic and laconic.

What is your personal experience associated with Maidan? When did you get there?

The experience, in general, is unique, because I have never seen so many people of different nationalities united by one idea. When I flew to Kiev, friends told me: where are you going? You're a good Jewish boy, and there are some fascists and anti-Semites! They will kill you under the fence!

And I flew in and was shocked how everything is going well with each other.

On the Maidan, he met the commander of the hundreds of Jews, Nathan Hazin, with a red-black, like a Pravosek, bandage on his arm, on it was written “Zhibobanderovets”!

He was so surprised when I asked about fascism, and said: Yes, you look at my “hundred”, there is no one there.

What impressed me the most: people from different cultures respected each other. All lived as one huge family, and it will forever remain in my heart. To be honest, I did not think that someday I would become a witness of something like that. I flew in November 2013, when it all started, just before the students dispersed. First there was a terrific sense of celebration and general unity. People all took to the streets together to voice their demands and desire to become part of the European Union. So surprising: there was no single political force that would lead everyone, people generally did not go under the flags of any political parties. It was a completely different Maidan, not like the one that was going to 2004 year. Then it was an absolutely political story, and in 2013 - the unity of people who wanted to live in a new way, wanted a completely different future for themselves.

When did you decide that you would make a movie?

I arrived and immediately realized that now history was going on, the course of development of the country was changing. People take to the streets, they are surprisingly self-organized, young and honest. I was delighted with the fact that I could be a witness to all this. And then the situation began to develop in an unpredictable and very tragic way. No one could even imagine that students who came out to protest would be brutally beaten, that people would be stolen from their own homes and cars, killed and arrested. Then we realized that it needs to be documented, you need to shoot every second. We began to collect video bit by bit from witnesses and colleagues. I formed an absolutely amazing team that gathered day and night, shot, painted, and documented each shoot.

You mentioned the team - is it a team of cameramen, archivists, producers? I really wonder who is this heroic cameraman who shot the video of the dispersal of students of November 30? I saw the circles that his camera wrote out in the air. Apparently, he was beaten?

On the Maidan, there really were a lot of professional operators who not only filmed, but also willingly shared their videos. When they heard that I was an American director who was making a film about the Maidan, they gladly gave me footage.

Because we had one goal: to document the story.

The dispersal of students on the Maidan was filmed by Volodya Makarevich, he then got a good grip. But the worst injuries he received on Bank 1 December, after which he spent a lot of time in the hospital. Then a lot of people suffered, including journalists. “Berkut” beat everyone. Volodya is one of the heroes of my film, and you can watch it.

How did you manage to come to an agreement with “Berkut” and take pictures from behind them? The video is absolutely unique, I have not seen it anywhere. And: where did you get the shots of the shootings?

This is a big cooperation project of more than 30 people - professionals and amateurs, who shared their material with me from a pure soul and without any payment. And I am incredibly grateful to each of them who allowed me to create a film.

How did you select the speakers and heroes for the film?

On the Maidan, it was possible to meet completely unique people - for example, a girl with African roots, playing the piano in the middle of Khreshchatyk. I was looking for those whose stories will be understood by people from other countries, something that will surely touch. I have a gypsy girl Romka in my film who escaped from the house to the barricades - here he is, the real Gavrosh of the Ukrainian revolution! He remained on the Maidan until the end, and, as he says, he passed an amazing school of life. Tires, Molotov cocktails - these are his real universities. You will see that he is growing as a person all these three months of revolution.

Another stunning hero is Sergey Nigoyan [who came from a family of Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh at the end of 80, a participant in the revolution, who was first killed during a confrontation on Maidan, received a fatal gunshot wound in January 2014]. Sergey in the film says that Ukraine is his homeland, his future, for which he decided to fight. He came out to defend a country in which he was not born, but in his heart and soul he was a Ukrainian. On his example, I wanted to show how people of different nationalities of different ages, representatives of different social strata, gathered for a common goal. Maidan, in the end, won.

Here you mentioned different social groups. Let's talk about the rich and odious: how did the singer Kamalia get her role in the film about Maidan? In addition to her, believe me, there were many people, including among the celebrities who supported the Maidan and were not people with such a dubious reputation.

I also speak: the Maidan consisted of people of different social groups - both poor, and rich. You will not find these shots in the film, but believe me, I saw how Bentley came there, women with high heels and fur coats came out and cut sandwiches. I met Kamalia both before and during Maidan and knew that it helps, brings clothes and food. I decided that it should be one of the heroes of the film - this will help demonstrate the social spectrum. It was important to show that everyone participated to some extent, and that is why Maidan won.

Let's go back to the film: when did “Netflix” appear in your life? Or did you immediately agree with him?

I finished the first version of the montage and called my friends Latty Grouman and John Butsek. John Batzek is known for many of his projects, in particular the production work on the Oscar-winning documentary film “In Search of a Sugar Man”. They maintained a close relationship with Netflix and suggested that I show the first version of the film there.

Almost instantly, “Netflix” called me back and said: let's remount and explain a little more globally, so that residents of any part of the world understand this.

I was so immersed in the events with the team that we seemed to have lost touch with the objective reality and the huge audience with which we could present the film. Much of what was happening on Independence was obvious to me, but not to a more distant American or Latin American audience. In “Netflix” we met with the famous editor Angus Wall, who had previously worked with David Fincher in the films “Social Network” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Angus literally fell in love with the picture and said approximately the same as the producers: I am ready to help you and make the picture more understandable for people all over the world. He wanted everyone to fall in love with the film. All in all, John Batzeck, Angus Wall, “Netflix” and me - we reached the goal! The bottom line, our story is clear to everyone, even if the person was not previously familiar with the history of the Maidan.

And what did the first film look like? What did you change at their request?

They generally liked everything, they just lost the thread of the story. It was not clear to them why people protested, why after the first beating of students, more people went to the Maidan. The answers were obvious to all those who were on the Maidan, but incomprehensible in my first version. Take the beginning: he was engaged in Patrick Claire, I mean the graphics.

Oh, you removed the question from the language! I was going to ask about the schedule, because it is not easy for a person unfamiliar with Kiev to figure out where people went from and where. Your schedule is a real genius!

We didn’t have enough of these excellent (but important - outsiders) professionals. But now anyone in the United States, Latin America, Europe can watch a movie and get answers to all the questions: why people came out with protests, what made them angry, why protesters after the first beating of students felt their power. They were not just in favor of European integration - people who were tired of the actions of their government, giving criminal orders to beat students and steeped in corruption, took to the streets. When we made the second version of the film, we knew for sure that viewers would get answers to all such questions.

Do you think many Americans will understand this film? And indeed - almost two years have passed since the beginning of events. Is it too late?

Ukraine constantly appears in the news bulletins. The uniqueness of what happened on the Maidan, you need to convey to the audience around the world. These events brought together people from different social backgrounds, different nationalities, and religious beliefs. I am extremely proud that I can convey this message: “Netflix” will show the film in more than 50 countries of the world, even in Japan.

And what about the Ukrainians?

And they will see. I am sure that “Netflix” will find a special slot for Ukraine, and at least one Ukrainian channel will definitely show this film. But it will happen after the world premiere.

What lesson will Russians take out after watching this movie?

Listen, I'm just a director who is trying to convey a message. I believe that winning is always unity. All of us together can be one big family - the way it was on the Maidan.

Shot from the movie