Mariupol. A Hundred Nights

"Mariupol. A Hundred Nights" tells us a story of a little girl, who wakes up on February 24th because of the air alert and tries to find someone living in the burning city. The main character is based on the story of Alice, a 4 year girl, who stayed in the blocked Mariupol during the whole time, she was also at Azovstal during the last month of defense. When russians allowed the evacuation of civilians from Asovstal, Alice was separated from her mother. A poem used in the film is "The wheels, the wheels, they hit the road" ("Кolesa hlukho stukotiat") by Vasyl Stus who was a Ukrainian poet and an active member of the dissident movement in the 60's and 70's. Stus was repressed and died in GULAG. The film was initiated by Gogolfest, a Ukrainian festival of contemporary art, which last 5 years was involved deeply in cultural life of the city, and was created in the frame of the collaboration project “Belief Matters” between German & Ukrainian artists.