News from Berlin

Ambassador of Ukraine Takes Part in Panel Discussion on the Internal Political Situation in Ukraine, Followed by a Screening of the film “Pipeline”

January 28th, 2014

Pavlo Klimkin, Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany, Takes Part in Panel Discussion on the Internal Political Situation in Ukraine

On the 23rd of January the panel discussion was held followed by a screening of the film “Truba”/”Pipeline”

20142801-ukraine.jpg

Ukraine panel discussion (photo: filmuforia.co.uk)

News from Berlin. As the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold, Pavlo Klimkin, Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany, Berlin, took part in a panel discussion on the internal political situation in Ukraine on the 23rd of this month.

The discussion was attended by Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany Pavlo Klimkin, MdEUP Werner Schulz and political scientist Alexander Rahr.

The conversation was moderated by the head of the International editorial board of the newspaper “Handelsblatt” Matthias Brüggmann. After discussing the numerous visitors had an opportunity to participate in the Q & A session.

Following the panel discussion there was a film showing of “Truba”/”Pipeline”. This is a film, which addresses energy policy in Russia and the everyday life of the people along a gas pipeline system that runs from the Siberian Urengoy via Ukraine and Romania to Cologne.

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky’s latest movie, takes a three-month journey across the country to meet the people who live on and around a gas pipeline. Mansky explains that the film’s aim was not to show derelict houses or ruined churches, but people.

The director visited one village that sits on a huge gas pipeline, but whose residents use wood to heat their houses. The irony of this is something which made a huge impression on Mansky. As he said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty Newspaper, “The real Russian life in all its glory that we saw, over the course of three months, is [starts saying an expletive but doesn't finish the word]“.

Mansky was surprised to find out that he and the Russian crew needed visas to access certain parts of the country controlled by gas companies.

“I am so shocked about the fact that I don’t even know how to comment on it. A region of Russia, it seems, can be closed for citizens of the Russian Federation,” he said, “When we filmed on Gazprom territory, I felt as if I was somewhere not in Russia.”

Mansky’s previous films – such as “Virgins,” about three women looking to lose their virginity – have been met with as much criticism as praise, but so far “Truba” has only found the latter.

The film took the Best Director prize at the Kinotavr festival in Sochi last month, and Best Documentary Film at the Karlovy Vary festival.

“Mansky has made a flawless, marvelous beauty of a film about how we are all going to die,” wrote Denis Korsakov in Komsomolskaya Pravda.

“The film needs to be seen. Discussed. Thought about. I would recommend all Gazprom employees to watch it, at work and more than once. Starting with the executives,” wrote Moskovskiye Novosti critic Alyona Solntseva.

More information can be found here:http://germany.mfa.gov.ua/de/press-center/news/17547-pavlo-klimkin-vzyav-uchasty-u-tematichnij-diskusiji-shhodo-vnutrishnyopolitichnoji-situaciji-v-ukrajini

Berlin Global

News from Berlin.