The Editorial Office + ScreenTalk: director Roman Bondarchuk & producer/co-writer Dar’ya Averchenko

A young scientist travels across the Ukrainian steppe with a photo camera hoping to find an endangered groundhog, but comes across a crime that will change the trajectory of his life.

Trying to expose the truth about an arson, Yura (Dmytro Bahnenko) starts work at a local newspaper that, instead of helping him deliver justice, will send him through a rabbit hole and show him a society permeated by corruption. Fake news, local o

ligarchs, rigged elections, and bizarre cults are all framed by a looming war.

After his acclaimed debut narrative feature Volcano (2018), director Roman Bondarchuk returns to his native Southern Ukraine, and to what is now recognisably his signature style, to deliver a masterfully crafted absurdist and timely satire.

Director Roman Bondarchuk and producer/co-writer Dar’ya Averchenko will join in

person for a ScreenTalk following the screening.

Synopsis

In the wild steppes of southern Ukraine, a young nature researcher named Yura is looking for an endangered species of groundhog but instead witnesses a crime. Eager to expose the truth, Yura takes his photo evidence to the local newspaper’s editorial office. However, he quickly realises that nobody there cares about pursuing justice. While a big war is looming over the horizon, Yura’s naive worldview is splintering in a storm of fake news, rigged political elections, and mysterious cult rituals. On his quest, the hero is about to find out who he really is—an endangered species of a good man or just a loser?