A film about "white angels" opened a film festival in Germany

The film directed by Arndt Ginzel tells about the destruction of the town of Maryinka in Donetsk Region by Russian troops and the heroic struggle of police officers for the lives of its residents. This is reported by the National Police.

The premiere was attended by one of the heroes of the film - police officers Artem Shchus and Vasyl Pipa. The documentary"White Angel - the end of Maryinka" European viewers met with applause.

For the first time in my career I saw that people stood up so many times and applauded the film. My goal was to show ordinary people, ordinary policemen at war, not individual personalities - but the soul of the Ukrainian people, - said the director Arndt Ginzel.

The idea to create a film about Maryinka arose for the filmmaker after visiting Donetsk region. In 2022, German journalists filmed how the police under enemy fire rescued the wounded and evacuated residents.

After seeing the GoPro footage of police officers, they were amazed by the effects of Russian terror. In 2023, the film crew returned to talk to the rescued people and law enforcement officers about their traumatic experiences and the loss of a city that no longer exists.

A lot of work was done to find the citizens who were once evacuated by the "white angels." A team of over 40 people worked on the film and it took 6 months to produce.

During his visit to Germany, Ruslan Osipenko, head of the National Police Headquarters in Donetsk region, thanked the director and his team, as well as the festival organisers and the German people in general.

After the premiere, Ukrainian police officers presented to the audience the activities of the"White Angel" unit, created for humanitarian missions in areas of active hostilities. During the meeting with the heroes of the film, participants and visitors of the festival could not hold back tears and hugged the policemen.

To the question "What did you feel while watching the film from the auditorium?" Artem Shchus and Vasily Pipa answered:

Infinite pain. When we worked there, we curbed emotions that could harm the case. Now there is grief from understanding the scale of this tragedy and others that our people are going through.

The Donetschynapolice officers also met with the mayor of Leipzig, Ulrich Hörning, who expressed his support for Ukraine. In particular, the city authorities provided shelter to 10,000 Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war here.

The film"White Angel - The End of Maryinka" will be shown in all cinemas in Germany until the end of February 2024. The documentary is being considered for worldwide broadcast.