The Other Side

An unseen and indispensable perspective on Russia's war against Ukraine

The Other Side In this visceral and powerful film, renowned journalist Sean Langan achieves an unprecedented 'on the ground' insight to the Russian side of the war with Ukraine. With extraordinary access to the Eastern frontlines, Langan builds a compelling exploration of what it is to be a Russian soldier, and a Russian civilian under daily threat of bombardment.


The Other Side (2024) on IMDb

Festivals and Awards

LaurelMonte-Carlo Television Festival 2024 | Golden Nymph Award
LaurelDoc Edge Film Festival 2024 | Official Selection
LaurelPrix Italia 2024 | Official Selection

Reviews and More

Sean Langan’s intriguing but curious documentary.” – The Guardian

Ukraine’s War: The Other Side is his finest work.” – The Spectator

The film-maker Sean Langan gained unprecedented access to the men waging Putin’s war.” – The Times

This documentary is unique in Western journalism on the war.” – Socialist Worker

The Producers


Producer – Leslie Knott

Leslie Knott is an Academy award nominated filmmaker and journalist working from some of the world's most hostile areas of conflict and post-conflict.

In 2004 she set up Radio Quyaash, a women-managed radio station in northern Afghanistan. Her first documentary, “Out of the Ashes” (BBC Storyville) followed the story of the Afghan cricket team’s meteoric rise from refugee camps to the World Cup. In 2014 she worked on “The Last Caliphate," a documentary investigating the life of Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban.

In 2012, Leslie set up Tiger Nest Films with Clementine Malpas. Their first film,“With This Breath I Fly,” follows two women imprisoned in Afghanistan for moral crimes. It's won over 12 Best International documentary awards this year on the festival circuit.

She leans into the more difficult underreported stories of our time, and tells them with truth, humanity, empathy and if possible, humour.



Director – Sean Langan

Sean Langan is a Bafta-nominated British journalist and documentary film-maker. Langan works in dangerous and volatile situations including environments noted for war, conflict and civil unrest. His films pay particular attention to under-reported stories and perspectives from the 'other side' of conflict, which has brought him in front of Hamas and the Taliban, among others.

Making The Film


Sean on the front line


Sean and his local fixer Sasha embark on a road trip through Russia’s heart of darkness: the Russian-occupied Donbas, starting in Donetsk, where he’s greeted with suspicion. But this remarkable film also shows the human face of the other side of this war - civilians living under siege, young students and an old babushkas who invite him for tea, coffee and pickles.


Interviewing Special Forces


Sean witnesses the lethal reality of this war, where drones loiter threateningly over First World War-style trenches. He meets Russian special forces who threaten to eat his liver and mercenaries who have seen action in Bucha. He captures what life is like for those fighting, and for those civilians who’ve been caught up in conflict in Eastern Ukraine’s conflict for the past decade.

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