de fac-to, 2018
Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair, Alexandra Wachter
HD-video, 32 min

The film was shot in Lviv between 2016 and 2017 and is the result of a collaboration with historian Alexandra Wachter. It deals with the appropriation and reinterpretation of history in a post-factual society. Structured like a calendar, the film shows a variety of political, social, and ethnic groups as they commemorate certain events of World War II. The emphasis is on the formal language and performative nature of these annual rituals. Notwithstanding the gravity of the historical context, the superimposition of various semantic layers at times leads to unintentional comedy. The project illustrates the complex coexistence of contrary realities in one post-Soviet city. By way of well-known historical facts, the viewer is plunged into regional conflicts and conventions as well as perceptions of the recent war.

www.lwiw-kriegsmuseum.net/
If you are interested in watching the film, I would be pleased to provide you with a screener. Please contact me via e-mail.

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