Ukrainian director Stanislav Kapralov echoes a way of hope and despair

By IANS

LOS ANGELES: Ukrainian director Stanislav Kapralov, who most lately helmed the thriller thriller ‘Egregor’, premiered in 2021, was in the course of pre-production for a brand new movie — a Hollywood challenge with U.S. actors and a U.S. distributor lined up — when Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday.

In an e mail interview with ‘Variety’, the director-screenwriter mentioned: “My family and I are in Ukraine. It was not possible to leave, but we moved from Kiev to western Ukraine. My father and grandmother are still in Kyiv. They are hiding in basements from bombings — elderly people sitting in damp basements.”

Kapralov sounded hopeful when he mentioned: “Everyone believes in the Ukrainian army, and no one loses heart. The Ukrainian army is putting up a heroic effort and is inflicting heavy losses on the Russians. Everyone is united in their hatred for Russia. My grandmother lived during the occupation of Ukraine in World War II. All Ukrainians compare Russia with fascist Germany.”

He was, nevertheless, crucial of the worldwide neighborhood’s reluctance to do extra than simply condemn the Russian invasion.

Kapralov advised ‘Variety’: “Ukraine is fighting for all of Europe to stop the ‘Hitler’ of the 21st century. But we get the feeling that we are fighting alone. NATO refused to close the airspace; Germany, Italy, and Hungary blocked a proposal to cut Russia off from SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), and Turkey refused to help in the Black Sea.”

Ironically, Kapralov’s ongoing movie challenge was set to be shot in Chernobyl, which was seized by Russian army forces on the primary day of battle.

“We made a decision to evacuate the project to Europe and shoot there,” Kapralov mentioned. “I hope our plans come true. To do this, my team and I will need to travel to Europe. Preferably alive. We are all still currently in Ukraine,” he added.

Kapralov, who can also be a screenwriter and producer, has labored with a few of Ukraine’s greatest names, together with Ivanna Sakhno (‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ and ‘High Fidelity’).