CARDS/ASTONS

SHOTS

SOTS

Civil war has raged in Ukraine Since March 2014.

At least 6500 people have died.

Nearly a million have lost their homes.

Black background

GVS shooting

Despite an internationally brokered ceasefire, bitter fighting continues.

Government forces and Russian-backed separatists face each other at the village of Shyrokyne, gateway to strategic port of Mariupol.

Neither side sees the face of their enemy.

Black background

Frantsuz:

Pro-government volunteer

Fighting for 7 months

Age:28

Occupation: translator

Frantsuz in trench

Jack:

Pro-Russian Separatist

Fighting for 1 year

Age:31

Occupation: stone mason

Jack in bunker

Title card:

Ukraine: The Divide

Aston: Ukrainian government frontline

Rooftop combat sequence. Firing canon.

You don't see the face of your enemy, they’re just like small figurines.

Incoming sniper fire

Fighter holds up middle finger towards sniper.

Macho: that’s the sniper.

Aston: Both sides claim they never shoot first.

Return fire with grenade launcher

Macho: There’s a big hole in the roof.

Simon: The roof is on fire.

Frantsuz: If I could have seen their faces, knowing that I killed a living person, a living human being, that would been very hard.

Separatist training ground

Jack and Alexei target practice.

Alexei: War is not a movie, in the movies they finish people off at close range.

Jack: if I killed I killed, if I didn't I didn't. I don't run after my bullets to see where the hit. I just shoot at the target, shoot at the enemy.

Gvs separatist trench, cleaning gun

Jack: Anyone who has studied history can tell you that the Soviet union, Russia, has never attacked anyone.

Everyone else always wanted something from us, we are the side that always suffers first

International observers arrive to monitor the cease fire at the rebel front lines.

But the shelling continues.

What a nightmare! how much longer can it go on? they are shelling us.

Where have you been? They are shelling us!

Why the f*** are you sitting their bitch?

Get out, get out, why the f*** don't you come when they’re pounding us?

Why are you sitting there? Why? You f*****g animal.

Stay one night here with us here, just one night

see what it's like

Second woman:

If you want to fight go somewhere else. Why did you come to the village?

Jack: I understand these people are angry because any village where the separatists are gets shelled with artillery and mortars.

Government front line

Frantsuz walking with canon.

Frantsuz:

This war is about the liberty of Ukraine,

Frantsuz and comrades leaving base to set up canon on hilltop

Frantsuz setting Up canon

Frantsuz:

I worked in united Arab emirates, then the revolution started. We hadn’t finished the revolution when Putin invaded, so I joined the army.

We will be listening to the radio, if there will be some mortar shelling, we will escape quickly.

Incoming shelling.

PW: Let's go

Frantsuz: Let’s go, go go

PW I'll follow you

Running back to base

Frantsuz:

Putin disliked us making a revolution. That is why he want to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

By that he will show the people that they should make any revolution because revolution leads to war.

We saved ourselves. I think we should stay under cover for a while.

BASEMENT

Yura (commander):

You always have to feel fear, people who have no fear die first.

GV of moon

Soldiers getting ready for bed, going to sleep. Jack going to sleep.

Frantsuz: my nightmare, which haunts me, is when I’m getting into the car, I need to escape, and then I realize I cannot drive a car. And somebody is following me. And I am waking up.

Separatist frontline

Rebel trench night.

Jack goes to bed

Morning in trench

Faint guitar music, jack walks to canteen

Jack:

It's a separatist cat. She’s worse than a separatist, she’s a f*****g terrorist.

Jack:

Everyone is afraid, only a fool is not afraid. But there is fear and there is cowardice, they are very different things.

Everyone is waiting for it to be over, no on likes war.

Valdimir Putin? Generally I admire him. One of the few people that can stand up to the super powers like America or even Great Britain.

PW: Do you get enough support from Russia?

Jack: I don't know who Russia supports. Don't make me answer compromising questions.

I think Putin is doing everything right and I hope God lets him finish what he started.

Jack going into canteen

Jack: A priest has come to see us, his name is Vladimir. He will bless us all for victory.

Arriving at canteen. Jack is blessed by Vladimir

Vladimir:

Afriend of mine, a monk who writes patriotic songs, has come here to perform for the guys, to support them.

Father Stalin

Warrior Monk

‘Stalin’ the warrior monk, sings.

Stalin sings: We both plant and weed, and we protect our faith. Ours! Ours! Ours!

We hit back at the European virus and the gay virus. Virus! Virus! Virus!

Pointing at flag

Stalin:

‘Orthodoxy or death’.

I will remain orthodox until I die.

I will never be a catholic, a f****t or any of your other c*********s. God forgive me.

Jack:

All the Europeans, fascists, nationalists, anyone who is aggressive towards the Slavs. They’ll get what they deserve sooner or later.

Stalin: Hurray, Christ is risen!

Frantsuz is granted 10 days leave. He hasn’t seen his parents for three months.

GV Frantsuz driving home

Arrives home greets mother

Lunch with family

Frantsuz's Mother Tamara: I understand that people die there. But who will protect Ukraine if not our own people?

When you don't know where your own child is,

It's hard to talk about this, we are just in this situation.

(Weeps, hugging)

I don't understand how this happened.

Grandmother off screen: We used to be friends with the Russians.

Jack hasn't seen his family for a month

Larissa, Jack’s mother.

Jack goes home to see his mother.

Jack's Mother Larissa:

I miss him, and of course I worry.

I’m going to cry.

Jack Don’t Cry

Jack's Mother, Larissa:

My grandmother worked for the KGB.

I ‘d like to live in Russia, I don't deny it. I have a lot of relatives there.

I’m probably more Russian at heart than anything else.

Jack:

What is Ukraine? It isn’t even a country, Ukraine is just the outskirts of Russia.

Donetsk

Separatist capital

Jack greeting wife Dina and baby daughter Masha

Jack, hello my little girl.

Jack Wife Dina: I rarely see him.

I’d like him to visit more often

Jack speaking to daughter Masha:

You are my rabbit, yes?

Aston:

Jack is unpaid, his family survives on handouts

Jack in kitchen looking into fridge

Wife bathes baby, Jack watches.

Jack: it’s empty. Basically there is nothing to eat.

Wife: I told you there is nothing.

Jack: Where can we get money? They don't pay us, so we don't have any.

Wife: I only get money once every 35 days for Masha and myself. That’s all.

Jack: Masha. My rabbit, my little duck.

Wife: Where are you going?

Aston: Since February 2015, Frantsuz has lost seven comrades in combat.

GVs of Frantsuz and colleagues laughing and joking together.

Frantsuz:

When we've just came to Shyrokyne. There were a terrible accident. Like. They were shot dead shot dead, one of them by a sniper. Another one just killed. He was trying to get some wounded guys from a fire. He was laying wounded, giving the command by radio to his guys to shoot him. Because he suffered pain… (weeps) and when we were saying like we ….(weeps)

Jack looking at sunset near rebel frontline.

Jack: War is frightening. It's not good.

I’m not a robot, I feel, I love, I suffer, I laugh, I cry.

ENDS