Mariupol, I love you

What do you know about Mariupol? Mariupol is a harbour, a resort, a home to a huge population of Pontic Greeks and a trade centre. It is an industrial giant with a bright history dating back to the 16th century, when it was founded by Cossacks. Mariupol is the city that faced the war in 2014 and then became a symbol of the new, Ukraine-controlled Donetsk region. A besieged heroic city, now fighting to resist and survive during the Russian invasion in 2022. 

“Mariupol, I love you” is a collection of short films made by Mariupol locals in 2017-2021. The short films are stories of everyday life, dreams and relationships and how they were influenced by the first phase of the war. “Me and Mariupol” features Donetsk-born director, Piotr Armianovski, talking to people from Mariupol in search of the city he remembers from his childhood. “Ma” by Maria Stoianova is a mother-daughter dialogue taken with amateur phone footage in the face of war. “Territory of empty windows” and “Diorama” by Mariupol-born Zoya Laktionova explore how the war changed the face of the city.