Maidan

by Sergei Loznitsa Border Lines

Maidan, the Independent Square of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, formed the backdrop of the civil uprising against President Janukovitsch’s regime during the winter of 2013/14. Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa documents the protest’s revolutionary trajectory in a Direct Cinema style. His camera records the preparation of a warm soup in the same way it does discussions amongst protesters, the singing of the National Anthem, and violent clashes with police. Loznitsa doesn’t concentrate on one particular leading character – his protagonist is the revolution itself. MAIDAN is the portrait of an emerging nation in the process of rediscovering its identity.