Why did you undertake this Voyage along the War in Ukraine?
The media coverage of the 2005 riots in France left a lasting impression on me. The press at the time only highlighted the most spectacular events, giving an image of a France in flames and blood. The emails I received from abroad were full of worries; people imagined a country on the brink of civil war. When I reassured them, people didn’t know who to believe anymore. (Paradoxically, the risk of civil war in France is closer today, without spectacular images, than it was at the time). I undertook this journey to see the reality between media coverage and the actual situation. When I returned from Lviv, friends were very surprised by the images I brought back, where everything seemed calm, far from the images of destruction we have, unfortunately, become accustomed to. Because far from the front, the war is different. This situation reminded me of my History lessons on the First World War with the “poilus” returning from Verdun to find Paris in full swing.
The film begins with a “foreword” related to a 2010 journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway. What value does it have?
This foreword immediately sets the film as a travel film. It also serves to ensure that the film is not seen as opportunistic or Russophobic, as I have been interested in this region for a long time. This Trans-Siberian journey provides a partial portrait of an immense country crossed by train: small republics, military, lost grandeur… The film clearly indicates my inability to have a comprehensive vision of the country. Beyond the images, it is obviously the commentary that makes it interesting. In this, the film follows in the footsteps of Chris Marker’s films or even Franju’s short documentary films.
The film is presented as a travel journal carried by your voice-over, similar to that of a reporter. Why this choice?
The idea is to make a film that is anything but a reporter’s or journalist’s account for press. It clearly affirms its subjectivity: it is an auteur film. The voice-over brings what the images cannot. It does not aim to be objective like on TV. I am among those who believe that when making a film, objectivity does not exist. There is always a more or less conscious social determinism that is transmitted in the author’s film.
In this context of conflict, you maintain a certain distance and a healthy sense of humor from time to time. Was this offbeat tone present since you started writing the project?
This offbeat tone was not as present at the time of shooting. Even less so beforehand. On site, I discovered that celebration, laughter, and joy are real lifesavers. We are far from the ideas conveyed by so-called realistic fiction cinema or what television shows of a life where laughter is banned. Alex from Mariupol says it well, without humor, he would never have come back alive from the front line. It allowed him to survive the atrocities. That’s why the film allows for some incursions into the realm of humor.
How did you meet the various refugees who testify about their situation?
Fred was hosting a Ukrainian family of five in his home in Paris. The film was organized very quickly since, when we embarked on our first trip, the conflict had already been going on for two months. It was quite unorganized, but I had planned to make several trips. Otherwise, how could I consider talking about a situation by confronting it for only a few days? Once Andrei had agreed to let me accompany him with my camera to Lviv, accompanied by Fred, I started the film without knowing if it would ever see the light of day. On site, I looked for testimonies focusing on my subject, exile (forced or voluntary). Thus, some people directed us to others. I also had family contacts of people on site, which allowed me to have testimonies from people of different backgrounds. When I started the second trip, I had already started editing. I was able to estimate what would be missing in the film and tried to film what could complete it.
How did you choose the musical passages and work on the sound, which also includes some silences?
With the use of music, the film enters in opposition to what is done today in documentaries. The film is built on rhythmic breaks, it also stands out by its “raw” form, far from overly polished films that look “professional”. Behind “professional” films, which some call “broadcast”, there are often dissemination issues in the fabrication of the discourse or point of view. Thus, I clearly inform the viewer that the film has a particular point of view since it is made in a particular way. Ultimately, in its construction, the film is free to include silence or just music. This helps convey the emotions experienced during the shooting. Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme greatly influenced me in the sound construction of Voyage along the War.
The film is an essay on war, a travel journal in Ukraine, but also a personal quest related to your grandfather’s history. Was this intimate dimension essential in the development of Voyage along the War?
It is first and foremost what motivated me to make this film. When the conflict started, I looked back and thought: between Chernobyl, the Holodomor, World War II where Ukrainians were caught between Hitler and Stalin, and now this war… Ukraine is a country that has known much suffering and sacrifice. My family name is Peretjatko, my grandfather arrived in France in 1924, it should affect me. How can I situate myself in all this?
Interviewed by Olivier Pierre
