Documentary Film about Russia's Crimes in Ukraine Wins the Award at 2024 Madrid International Film Festival

The film Hostages of Madness by Stanislav Tsekhmistrenko was recognized as the best in the Best Documentary Editing category. The documentary was produced with the support of the international organization Internews and the NGO Internews Ukraine.

Hostages of Madness highlights the harrowing experiences of Ukrainians who survived Russian occupation during the full-scale war against Ukraine. The documentary tells the stories of three people from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk Oblasts, all of whom either suffered abuse at the hands of Russian occupiers or returned to occupied territories in search of missing family members. Filmed between December 2022 and February 2023, the documentary captures scenes in Borodianka, Izium, and other cities devastated by Russian aggression.

“We are grateful for every opportunity to bring Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine to light, and we thank the Madrid International Film Festival for providing a platform to share the stories of those who endured the occupation in 2022,” said Oleksandra Pavlovska, the film’s idea author and project director. “It’s crucial not only to seek justice for these atrocities but to keep reminding the world of what happened.”

The film is directed by Ukrainian documentary filmmaker Stanislav Tsekhmistrenko, whose previous works include The Return (2016) and The Limits of Waiting (2018). The latter, which explores the fate of those who disappeared during Russian military aggression, received an award at the 2018 Madrid Film Festival. Screenwriter Serhiy Bibik and cinematographer Viktor Zavalniuk also worked on the film.

“We are deeply thankful to the festival jury for recognizing our work,” said Tsekhmistrenko. “This recognition will help ensure the film reaches even more viewers abroad, which is vital because Ukraine’s reality is often distorted by Russian propaganda. We will continue to show the world how Ukrainians live day by day, serving as witnesses to Russian war crimes and giving voice to the victims and those who have died in this war.”

The film is available for free on the Megogo platform.

Documentary film “Hostages of Madness” was produced within Rapid Assistance to Media (RAM) project.