“Militantropos” premiere at the 78th Cannes film festival

On May 21st, 2025, at the occasion of the Cannes film festival, the ESFUF-supported documentary Militantropos, selected in the Directors’ Fortnight, premiered at Le Théâtre Croisette.

Militantropos by Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi and Yelizveta Smith, received ESFUF development support in December 2023, as part of the triptych The Days I would like to forget.The film is co-produced by Tabor Production (Ukraine), Mischief Films (Austria) and Les Valseurs Bordeaux (France).

The documentary investigates the extratordinary impact of war on personal behaviour, the disruption of the ordinary caused by the chaos of war and the integration of this chaos in day-to-day lives. Other parts of the triptych Palingenesion (supported by ESFUF in production) and Cosmomorphosisis focus respectively on the perception of death, with the experience and acceptance of grief, and on the link between war in Ukraine and the rest of the world.

On the day of the premiere, the team appeared on the red carpet wearing fragments of mirrors, so as to “enable others to see themselves” in the team. 

The team issued the following statement:

“Ukraine is not a distant land, not an exotic background, not ‘another’ war. It is here, in your field of vision, in all the mirrors of Europe. There is no neutrality in the face of war – only the position reflected in each of you.”

The premiere was met with a standing ovation from the audience.

Photos: Quinzaine des Cinéastes / Tabor Production