Further proof. Teaser for documentary about Russia's destruction of Ukraine's environment is out now – video, photo

A teaser trailer has been presented for Divia, an observational documentary film about the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine’s environment. 

The team behind Divia hope that their film will become a further piece of evidence in the fight to hold Russia accountable for the full-scale aggression it has unleashed in Ukraine and the environmental damage it has caused.

The documentary will show the journey from the harmonious life of nature to the whirlwind of war that burns the land and all living things. It focuses on some of the people who are trying to save animals, clear the land of explosives, and measure the extent of this environmental damage: ecologists, bomb disposal experts, search and rescue workers, and animal rights activists.

"In this teaser, we want to show people helping to clean up the natural environment in Ukraine, remedying the consequences of the occupiers' actions and the full-scale invasion," filmmaker and director Dmytro Hreshko told Ukrainska Pravda.Kultura (Culture).

The film was shot by Dmytro Hreshko and Volodymyr Usyk and features additional material by Ruslan Bieliaiev (Dronarium) and Pavlo Itkin.

Work on the film began in the spring of 2022, after the liberation of Kyiv Oblast from the Russians. Since then, the Russian occupiers have been committing more and more crimes against Ukraine's environment, and the crew has been gathering more material.

"When we started working on Divia, we had no idea that the tragedy in Nova Kakhovka was going to happen. When we found out about it, we immediately went to the scene with cameraman Volodymyr Usyk to film the Ukrainians' battle against the disaster. So the first teaser doesn't have this footage, but now you can see it," added Hreshko.

The upcoming film is currently in post-production. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

In addition to support from many different foundations and organisations, the Divia project has won a grant from the Ukrainian Film Academy and Netflix. The Swedish film company Tint Post, known for the Oscar-nominated films Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Triangle of Sadness, is also helping the filmmakers with colour correction.

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