13/01/2023 - The six-episode series will feature interviews with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, survivors of a mass execution and a beauty queen who becomes a sniper

The brand-new six-part documentary series Citizens at War: A Year in Ukraine will be released next month, on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Backed by a large group of international producers and distributors, the series will include interviews with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, survivors of a mass execution and a beauty queen who becomes a sniper, among others.

In it, the filmmakers of Kyiv’s Film.UA fanned out to record the fate of their nation. They gained access to the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian military and the personal stories of the country’s citizens. It promises to combine fresh professional footage with material from Ukrainian citizens’ personal archives. The six episodes, each an hour long, are titled “The First Ten Days”, “Zelensky”, “Women at War”, “The Volunteer Army”, “The Siege of Mariupol” and “The Russians”.

Citizens at War: A Year in Ukraine is backed by Canada’s Blue Ant International, Ukraine’s Film.UA, Australia’s Tilt Media and the UK’s GTV Docs. The deal was sealed by Lilla Hurst, global head of Acquisitions and Partnerships at Blue Ant. An Australian-Ukrainian-British co-production, it is being executive-produced by Chris Hilton, Tilman Remme, Victor Mirsky and Kateryna Vyshnevska. It was commissioned by German pubcaster ZDF, and pre-sales negotiations with other European networks are still ongoing.

“This project is unlike any other, and reveals the heartache and inspiring determination of the Ukrainian people, a nation that has banded together to resist the military takeover of their country,” said Remme, partner and creative director at GTV Docs.