The Sheriffs, Nadia Savchenko & Zlatan

I know that the headline is mixing harsh reality and entertainment but this is actually how it is to be at EDP, East Doc Platform, here in Prague. During the days I have been giving feedback on documentary projects that deal with global problems or stories from family life, personal stories and stories of a more investigative nature. And during the evening relaxing, last night with football on television.

And I have met the “Ukrainian Sheriffs” and their mayor, who were invited by the Ukrainian filmmakers Darya Averchenko and Roman Bondarchuk and their powerhouse of a producer, Uldis Cekulis from Latvia – to attend two screenings with full houses and to give the audience answers to their questions. But they had also time to go to a demonstration in Prague! At the photo they carry signs saying “Free Nadia” with reference to the Russian Imprisonment of Ukrainian helicopter pilot Nadia Savchenko, who is now on her 45th day of hungerstrike and according to Radio Free Europe considered seriously ill. Savchenko is in jail because of Russian suspicion of her being involved in the killing of two Russian soldiers.

Photo from left sound engineer and co-editor of the film Borys Peter, senior sheriff Viktor Kryvoborodko, junior sheriff Volodymyr Rudkovsky, mayor Viktor Marunyak and director of the film Roman Bondarchuk. The sheriffs and their mayor went back to Stara Zburjivka this morning. Photo Darya Averchenko.

And a few words about last evening that was spent in a sportspub watching Paris Saint Germain beat Chelsea and qualify for the next round of the European Championship. English newspaper Guardian calls him “a superhero”, and indeed he was yesterday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34 years old, the leader of the Paris team, in total control of his players and with one assist and one scored goal, the one who defined the result of the match. Amazing he is, as you can see in the film by the Brothers Gertten from Malmö, where Zlatan was born. I will review that film tomorrow. One of the brothers, Magnus, saw the film and smiled, this can only increase the sales of the film and the cinema attendance in Sweden where 55.000 have seen it so far.

http://project20406.tilda.ws/#rec3016831

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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