In Part II of our three part series, Ukrainian Echo talks to Babylon’13 cinematographers Phillip and Andriy Rozhen about the project’s current work, the international presence at Euromaidan, and the transformations they witnessed in Ukrainians as a nation.
UE: Where does the Babylon’13 project stand today? Are you still filming?
A: Yes, almost every week you will find new videos from eastern Ukraine. We shot when Crimea was being annexed, when the war began, and we continue to shoot now. Babylon’13 will likely exist until these major problems in Ukraine don’t exist anymore.
UE: What is the Babylon’13 project now trying to accomplish in the East? What is your focus?
A: Everything. Our main goal is not to deliver news but to show the psychological story, philosophical story - the story of the people. We are dispelling myths.
UE: What are some myths you think you have dispelled so far?
A/P: For example, a lot of people think that Euromaidan was completely Ukrainian, but this is a myth. A lot of people on Maidan spoke Russian and other languages, there were sotnias (battalions), and one of them was Jewish. The first person to die on the Maidan was an Armenian, and the second was a Belarusan. Andriy and I defended a Georgian…
UE: Why do you think there was such an international presence during the Euromaidan revolution?
A: Because it wasn’t just a Ukrainian fight. And it wasn’t just against [ex-President] Yanukovych. During this revolution we received a lot of messages from our friends in Georgia saying things like “We know you are exhausted, but please keep fighting because this fight is not only yours, it is our fight too, and you show us the example of how to act. You are the avant-guard of the whole former Soviet Union.” That’s why so many people came from other countries. We had a lot of people come from Belarus and Russia just to support and take part, because they realized that this is not just a problem in Ukraine, but of the entire former Soviet space. It’s revealing.
P: And also Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia - these countries are very afraid right now because they understand that if Russia wins this war they will have big problems.
A: Because the only country physically resisting the aggression right now is Ukraine. We are fighting but if they break us there will be no more wall defending Europe from the aggressor.
UE: Tell me about another myth the Babylon’13 project has helped dispel.
A: We showed that in the Euromaidan there were not only fighters. A lot of people thought this, and it was one of the myths that Russia tried to promote. We have a lot of films that show how Maidan worked, exactly. For example, we have a film where you can see how a group of men were helping a pigeon that was choking on a piece of debris it has swallowed, and they helped him get it out and then released the pigeon. We also have several films that show how in Donbas and in Crimea not all people are all that pro-Russian.
UE: How has your work been received at home and abroad?
A: A lot of people cry. Even people who are very much aware of what is happening in Ukraine still learn a lot of new things. Some people are really shocked, as in, how could it be possible that this is happening in the middle of Europe in the 21st century?
P: I’d like to add that one of the main things we’ve done is shown Canadians, and even pro-Russian people, who Ukrainians really are and what they are fighting for.
A: We also showed how it [the Euromaidan revolution] changed Ukrainians. There were strong beliefs that Ukrainians were still very Soviet, but we showed that Ukrainians are no longer so influenced by Russians, they are a separate nation and a nation that will stand for its rights.
UE: What about yourselves, did you learn anything new about your own nation?
A: Of course, a lot. There is a Ukrainian proverb which goes along the lines of “My home is in the corner, away from the rest of the city, and that’s why I don’t care what happens in the city.” In other words, yes I’m part of the city, but solve your own problems. And everyone thought like this, it was a very big myth about Ukrainians, that they don’t care about what goes on elsewhere. But now we see that everyone does care. And everyone realized that you can change your own future. And we also learned how to be Ukrainians.
UE: You mentioned how Ukrainians are much more patriotic and nationalistic now, but before Euromaidan began there was quite a bit of criticism that they weren’t patriotic enough. What do you think caused this change? Did people simply finally have enough of living under a corrupt, increasingly authoritarian regime?
A: Yes, the trigger was when Yanukovych didn’t sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. A lot of people were very disappointed. This was definitely the trigger, but it wasn’t the reason. The reason was the corruption. And I can tell you there are a lot of rumors in Ukraine. For example, everyone knew that Yanukovych was a gangster, and in the minds of most Ukrainians, Donbas [where Yanukovych is from] is home to the strongest mafia and gangsters in Ukraine. There were a lot of rumors that people were losing their businesses due to government interference and involvement. So job by job, day by day, frustration with the government grew and continued to increase until it was finally released.
