Counter-propaganda

Documentary filmmaker Anna Kryvenko, currently a fellow at Central European University’s Institute of Advanced Studies, learned about the screening of Russians at War at BIDFF at the outset of her artistic residency in Budapest.

Kryvenko expressed her concerns regarding the decision to showcase the film, emphasizing the need for cultural institutions to expand their perspectives beyond the specifics of this festival. She stated that Europe’s counter-propaganda efforts are significantly inadequate: “In the last decade, numerous European films have explored the propaganda mechanism, often in a satirical manner. This has fostered a mistaken belief that all Russian propaganda is ridiculous.”

For instance, Russians at War features a score by the renowned French-Tunisian composer Amine Bouhafa. During the festival, Trofimova mentioned in an interview with BIRN that Bouhafa agreed to be a part of the project after viewing an early version of the film. “I simply allowed Amine to work his magic,” she recounted to BIRN.

However, it remains uncertain whether Bouhafa and the other members of the film’s post-production team were completely aware of the conditions under which Trofimova filmed Russians at War, including the possibility that filming in occupied Ukraine might contravene international law. BIRN made several attempts to contact Bouhafa for his comments, but received no response.

Kryvenko remarked that the increasingly global nature of disinformation often conceals its true identity. She noted that this misleading perception of what propaganda should resemble has misled cultural establishments like BIDFF and other film festivals into believing they would be immune from being targeted.

During interviews, Ukrainian artists and critics unanimously recognized the necessity to combat Russia’s evolving propaganda strategies. Simultaneously, they conveyed a sense of personal discomfort regarding the Ukrainian Institute’s stringent demands. Kryvenko, an expert in dissecting Russian disinformation, named her upcoming film This House is Undamaged as a nod to Kremlin propaganda that aims to downplay the destruction caused by Russian troops in Mariupol. Yet, in her conversation with BIRN, she distanced herself from the Ukrainian organizations’ attempts to sway festival organizers.

“I don’t want to assume the role of a moral arbitrator,” she stated to BIRN. “It troubles me that we assert a moral authority to dictate how festivals ought to function or how cultural policies should be shaped.”

“At one point, it was effective,” she noted, “but the screening of a propagandistic film at a major festival is evidence that our strategies and demands are no longer flawlessly effective.”

Alina Maksimenko, another Ukrainian documentary filmmaker, traveled from Warsaw to BIDFF to showcase her film In Limbo, which illustrates her struggles to care for her elderly parents as Russian soldiers gradually moved closer to their town. Reminding me of the ongoing war, Maksimenko questioned the rationale behind film festivals opting to screen Russians at War at this juncture. “It felt like a peculiar signal from the festival organizers,” she remarked, “not just to Ukrainian filmmakers but to Ukrainian citizens residing in Hungary.”

Maksimenko is not opposed to historical documentaries that humanize everyday soldiers on either side; she implied that she might eventually watch Russians at War: “However, I don’t intend to watch it soon, at least not until the war concludes.”

The first time Maksimenko learned of Russians at War being part of the BIDFF lineup was when she arrived in Budapest and flipped through the festival program in a taxi. “It gave me an unpleasant feeling,” she recalled. “I was taken aback to find the title listed in the program.”

Regardless, Maksimenko emphasized that her experiences at BIDFF were a blend of positives and negatives. On one hand, she felt anguish. “I wanted to withdraw and avoid participating in events. I didn’t wish to meet the Russian director or address the subject.” Conversely, she acknowledged the rewarding interactions she had when she chose to engage with the screenings.

Nonetheless, Maksimenko maintains skepticism regarding the festival organizers’ motivations, despite their choice to screen Russians at War, which instilled in her a renewed purpose in combating disinformation’s effects. She pointed out that Hungary’s government has fostered close relationships with Russia and promotes its propaganda through state-controlled media, contributing to the proliferation of anti-Ukrainian sentiments.

Maksimenko’s participation at BIDFF ultimately turned into a learning opportunity. “I perceive this challenge as part of my role and responsibility, particularly because I created a film about the war. I believe that is the main reason for my presence at the festival,” she explained, adding that while the festival organizers complicated her task, they also instilled in her a deeper sense of mission.

Ultimately, Maksimenko reflected that the conflicting pressures and challenging decisions she faced during the festival mirrored the conditions portrayed in her film. Should she remain and persevere or exit an increasingly arduous scenario? In her film In Limbo, her mother chooses to flee while her father stays behind. Similarly, the festival climate heightened the stakes and complicated her own decision-making: “My film illustrates a universal human struggle amid an extreme situation… where straightforward and painless solutions are nonexistent.”