Roman Bondarchuk's latest film The Editorial Office, a story deeply rooted in the director's own upbringing in southern Ukraine, provides a stark reflection on the creation and manipulation of news within a region caught between its past and the pressing realities of war. The film will have its world premiere at the Berlinale section Forum.
Born into a family of journalists, Bondarchuk's intimate familiarity with the local media landscape — characterized by its often-absurd mandates to fabricate news stories — serves as the backdrop for this exploration of truth, fiction, and the spaces in between.
The film stems from a collaboration with screenwriter Alla Tyutyunnik, Bondarchuk's mother, blending personal experiences and broader societal observations into a poignant commentary on journalistic integrity and the resilience of community spirit in the face of conflict.
Employing non-professional actors, including Dmytro Bahnenko, a journalist whose real-life activism mirrors that of his character, The Editorial Office leverages authenticity to delve into the complexities of provincial life in Ukraine, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the ongoing war in the East.
The production itself, marred by the war's direct impact, including the loss of editing director Viktor Onysko to combat, echoes the film's thematic concerns, highlighting the indelible link between art and the tumultuous socio-political landscape of contemporary Ukraine.
The official synopsis: “Young biologist Yura actually leads a quiet provincial life with his job at the Natural History Museum. He’s still living at home with his mother – if only her pompous admirer wouldn’t annoy him with his readings from Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
"In search of the marmot, a creature thought extinct on the Southern Ukrainian steppe, Yura is witness to arson. Trying to draw public attention to the injustice, he unexpectedly ends up on a sensationalist local news portal, and is drawn ever deeper into the absurd entanglements of a network that no one is really interested in unravelling.”
