Spring in Mariupol
Concorso italiano – Lungometraggi
Sinopsys:
When the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was besieged in the spring of 2022, the Italian journalist Maurizio Vezzosi was a remarkable eye-witness to the siege. Following the advance of the Russian troops, he was at times the only Western journalist reporting from inside the city, choosing to witness until the end, what should become one of the most significant and cruel episodes of the war in Ukraine.
In the streets of a collapsing city, among destroyed buildings and abandoned bodies, in dark basements that became a refuge of salvation, Maurizio meets the suffering population that remained trapped in their city. The people’s words signify their proud resistance to death, in the midst of the crossfire.
Director’s notes:
The film does not aim to interpret the ongoing conflict. Years ago with Strange Fish, by Giulia Bertoluzzi, we chose to deal with the deaths in the Mediterranean from a human point of view, shifting the focus from the drama itself to the consequences the deaths had on the inhabitants of Zarzis. Spring in Mariupol has the same objective. The footage conveys the fear of the bombs, but we do not chase the bleak spectacle of war. We escape to the nearest basement with the inhabitants of Mariupol and put a face to the war.