On 28 March 2025, two European Parliament Junior Ambassadors from Palmer’s and Seevic campuses at USP College, Jayden O’Brien and Sebastian Rapley Mende, attended a screening of the 2024 Ukrainian film Editorial Office, paid for by the European Parliament Liaison Office in London, at the Ciné Lumière of the Institut Français. This was followed by a Q&A from the film’s director Roman Bondarchuk, who also showcased the Ukraine War Archive, a not-for-profit archive of the war in Ukraine.
The film, which was filmed in Bondarchuk’s home city of Kherson before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, focusses on several themes such as political and public corruption, fake news and tabloid journalism, the climate crisis, endangered species and environmentalism, and the threat of Russian invasion.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, the areas of filming, including the city of Kherson itself as well as a large forest on the outskirts of the city, have been destroyed by Russian bombing campaigns. The forest, which is central to the plot of the film, was burnt down by Russian forces on the very first day of the invasion, while Kherson itself was destroyed by flooding after the Russians blew up a nearby dam serving the city.
In the Q&A, Bondarchuk spoke of these events and the inspirations for the film, such as his and his family’s history as journalists in Soviet Ukraine, and the widespread corruption in the country before the 2022 Russian invasion. There were three questions, two of which were asked by Ukrainians who also shared their own insights of the situation in the country both before and after the invasion.
The first question was by a Ukrainian journalist who had fled the country after the invasion and asked Bondarchuk if there was any hope for Ukraine, given the current situation with the Russian invasion and the US Government of Donald Trump. Bondarchuk said that was a difficult question to answer, with the near future looking dark for Ukraine, but that Ukrainians like them should continue the fight with the hope that there will be light on the other side.
The second question built upon the first, with another Ukrainian journalist asking Bondarchuk how journalists should keep their spirit and determination in finding out and reporting the truth, despite obstacles such as corruption and intimidation against journalists, which were portrayed in the film, and in Ukraine in particular after the Russian invasion. Bondarchuk said it was important to support journalists such as photo journalists and war journalists despite the dangers of war and to spread awareness of their work and their reports with others.
At the end of the Q&A, Bondarchuk also showcased the Ukraine War Archive, which maintains photographic and audio documentation of the war. He appealed to the audience to donate to it, as it is struggling to stay afloat with a lack of funding and donations after the US Government withdrew its support following the election of President Donald Trump in 2024.
A QR code allowing you to donate to the archive can be seen in the images in this post. We would like to thank the European Parliament Liaison Office for giving us the opportunity to watch this film and to learn of this archive at this vital time for Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!
