Slava Ukraini

“Slava Ukraini” was directed by Bernard-Henri Lévy, a French philosopher, writer, and filmmaker. The film’s producer was François Margolin. The film’s score was composed by Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, a Ukrainian singer and leader of the band Okean Elzy (Elza’s Ocean). “Slava Ukraini” chronicles the remarkable counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops and documents the liberation of the city of Kherson and the Kharkiv region. Shot as a travelogue through the country’s conflict zones, the film delves into the political situation in Ukraine – particularly the ongoing invasion by Russia – and the struggle for independence and democracy.

Filmmakers traveled across Ukraine in the accompaniment of a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) unit, capturing events in Bakhmut and Lyman, and tracking military conflicts near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The film bears witness to the devastation of war through the testimonies of soldiers, frontline chronicles, and portraits of civilians; revealing the struggles that Ukrainian people, those who remain in their home country, must face on a daily basis. The narrative begins in Kharkiv and takes viewers to Kherson, not long after the city’s liberation, with closing scenes shot in the city of Ochakiv.