Lots of films have been made in the last two years about the terrible death and destruction that Putin’s Russia has brought on Ukraine.
These are stories that must be told. Some of these moving images may be used as evidence in future war crimes trials.
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Having followed events on social media – seen horrific images and videos on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – many tears have been shed, and the anger has been insurmountable.
The film “20 Days In Mariupol” illustrated the bravery of the journalists who stayed behind, putting their own lives in danger as the hospital they were in was encircled by Russian Z tanks.
When the director of the film Mstyslav Chernov collected his Oscar for best documentary feature, he said: “I wish I had never made this film.” This comment got me thinking.
Was it time to go against the grain and make a film that was not about the war? Could a film be made for Ukrainians at home, abroad, its military, where they could escape, if momentarily, from the horrors of war, turn the clock back to pre-war Ukraine, if only for 15 minutes?
I wrestled with the idea and came to the conclusion that such a film had to be made. So what was this film going to be about? I had always been fascinated by the legend of Hetman Pavlo Polubotok, who, when losing in a battle against Peter I of Russia, decided to have two barrels of gold deposited in an English bank. The deal being that when Ukraine became independent, the money would be returned.
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As a journalist I had followed President Leonid Kravchuk in the early 1990s when he made his first official visit to Britain. One of the items on his itinerary was to have dinner with the Lord Mayor of London in the City of London’s Guildhall. There he raised the question of Polubotok’s gold and offered to go and look for it. Unfortunately he left England empty-handed.
I was determined to make a film that would be part legend and part fiction, with a modern twist and an awe-inspiring happy ending. A few years after Kravchuk’s visit, I made a radio play called “Polubotok’s Gold is in Lockerbie,” where a bunch of students go on the hunt for the gold. A trailer is available here.
But this time round it had to be a film. I started to build up a team of Londoners from different backgrounds – Caribbean, Burmese, Ukrainian-American, Indian and of course English.
The volunteers would give up their free time in support of Ukraine. The project, from writing the script to filming and editing, took several months to make. And so, “Ukraine’s Gold” was born.
The story is simple. Two builders with Ukrainian heritage are given a job to repair the foundations of the Bank of England. So, do they find Polubotok’s gold? And if they do, what are they going to do with the money?
The film has been on YouTube for more than a week and has had thousands of views. UK Film Review has given it three stars out of five. I hope people watch it and find some comfort from it.
Here are a few excerpts from its film critic Patrick Foley.
He wrote: “Ukraine’s Gold is a light-hearted and affable exploration of Ukrainian myth mixed with the nation’s modern struggle against Russian aggression.
“David Freisener’s performance as Mykola is a highlight, entertainingly capturing a sense of moral ambiguity and ethically questionable motives for a man who wants to appear to take pride in his heritage.
“The justification for his own intentions for the riches the gold would bring is one of the film’s most amusing moments and stems largely from his brilliant ability to highlight the hypocrisy of affluent Londoners.
“Ruslan Barenboym similarly impresses as Stepan, though acting in more of a straight man role. He ends as the film’s heart.
“Ukraine’s Gold is no technical masterpiece and has more than its fair share of flaws. However, this original little film has a lot of heart and admirable aims – as well as an ability to raise a few laughs.
“This tribute to Ukraine, its people and its history is enjoyable, and it is clear that Tony Leliw’s assertion of its necessity is on the money.”
You can catch Ukraine’s Gold on YouTube by going on my Tony Leliw channel or clicking this link.
The full UK Film Review film of Ukraine’s Gold can be found on: https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/reviews/ukraine's-gold
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