Acclaimed Documentary Explores 2013 Ukrainian Revolution

In solidarity with the people of Ukraine, Sag Harbor Cinema will screen “Maidan,” a documentary by renowned Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa, on Sunday, March 13.

After two internationally celebrated features — “My Joy” and “In the Fog” — Loznitsa turned to documentary in December 2013. He headed to Kyiv, where he grew up, to capture the civil uprising in Maidan, the Independence Square, as a massive portion of the civilian population gathered to protest pro-Russian President Victor Yanukovich’s refusal to strengthen ties with the West.

Loznitsa and his cameraman documented the shift from peace at the end of 2013 to January 2014, when riot police stormed the square following an ultimatum from the government ordering protesters to disperse. Filming as the event was unfolding, Loznitsa decided to use direct sound without voiceover commentary to allow the audience to be immersed in the narrative. Wide, sweeping shots capture peaceful rallies, demonstrations, speeches and songs. His style forgoes the traditional documentary conventions, plunging viewers into the middle of a revolution for a startling and immediate portrait of an awakening nation, rediscovering its identity.

Loznitsa notes, “During the first weeks of Maidan, there was danger, but also there was a lot of humor and laughter. This very particular Ukrainian sense of humor, which helped them get through some of the darkest moments of this nation’s history. They were laughing at incompetent and corrupt politicians rather than hating them. The creative energy was bursting, and dozens of amateur singers and poets performed their rather naive, but incredibly honest and passionate ballads on the stage of Maidan.

“By the middle of January the mood changed. It was not a carnival any more. It was a battle. Blood was shed. It was no longer a peaceful protest against [a] corrupt president. It was a fight against an evil regime. It was a revolution …”

“Both in his documentaries and in his features, Sergei Lonznitsa has been an indispensable chronicler of Ukrainian history and the history of the former Soviet bloc,” said Sag Harbor Cinema’s artistic director, Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan. “Screening ‘Maidan’ at our cinema is a way to celebrate the people of Ukraine in this most difficult moment, while also offering our audience a greater insight into the events that led to the war.”

Loznitsa’s most recent film is “Babi Yar,” which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize, the L’Oeil d’Or for Best Documentary. The film will open at Film Forum in New York on April 1. As of February 26, Loznitsa has resigned from the European Film Academy (EFA), protesting the language of its letter of solidarity with Ukraine, specifically its failure to label the ongoing Russian invasion as a war.

Tickets for the film are available at sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor.

“Maidan”

Dir. Sergei Loznitsa

Ukraine, 2014; 131 mins, in Ukrainian with English subtitles

Not Rated

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa, “Maidan” chronicles the civil uprising that toppled the government of Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovich that has since developed into an international crisis between Russia and the West. Filmed in stunning long takes, sans commentary, “Maidan” is a record of a momentous historical event and an extraordinary study of the popular uprising as a social, cultural and philosophical phenomenon.

Distributed by The Cinema Guild.