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In the footsteps of Nestor
by
Canal Marches
Together, let's participate in the making of a film about Nestor Makhno and his echo in a part of today's Ukrainian resistance.
Together let's make a film and follow in the footsteps of Nestor Makhno.
While Russian aggression against Ukraine is intensifying and the country is in difficulty, subjected to the violence and deprivations inflicted by the war, the Ukrainian resistance is holding firm in a form of civic, social, trade union, military and cultural self-organization without waiting for state support or Western aid, which is slow to materialize. This resolute commitment is reminiscent of that, just a century ago, of the anarchist peasant Nestor Makhno who, during the civil war following the October Revolution, raised an army of 100,000 fighters to fight against the Austro-German occupation, against the reactionary White Army and against the Red Army of Moscow. His project at the time: to allow the advent of a free, independent, social and democratic Ukraine. The current front line crosses the territories that saw the birth and development of the movement he inspired: the Makhnovtchina.
The film, which will take place mainly in Ukraine, will follow in the footsteps of Nestor, who today inspires part of the Ukrainian youth and fighters who resist Russian imperialism. We will strive to render the atmosphere of the war, showing the scars it leaves on women, men and landscapes, both rural and urban, highlighting the surges of solidarity and mutual aid that the situation engenders. We will pay close attention to the populations who suffer, fight, resist and hope, trying to render this particular and unexpected energy that irrigates the country.
The writing of the film began in March and resulted in a sequence of the film. An initial location scouting took place from June 10 to 25, which allowed several contacts to be made with activists and soldiers belonging to a network of several hundred fighters, bringing together anti-authoritarian left-wing activists, environmentalists, animal rights activists, feminists, LGBTIQ activists, libertarian communists, anarchists engaged on the front or in different forms of direct support for the front. This network is of course mainly made up of Ukrainians, but there are also people from various nationalities (including Belarusian, Russian, Kurdish, European and American). We were also able to make contact with trade unionists and political figures (MPs, ex-MPs, pro-Ukrainian Russian opponents, etc.). Filming in Ukraine will take place before the end of the year, as will probably be the case in France. Thus, editing of the film could begin in the first quarter of 2025.
Description of expenditure items
The production of the film will of course have a cost.
To begin with, here are the major expense items relating to filming:
Travel and on-site expenses for the June location survey (15 days) €1,000
Travel for the film crew €2,000
On-site costs for the film crew (3 weeks) €1,500
Accommodation costs for the film crew (3 weeks) €2,500
Fixer and interpreter on site €2,000
Materials and miscellaneous costs €1,000
TOTAL 10,000€
Final beneficiaries of the collection
Christophe Cordier and Pierre Chamechaude have known each other for over twenty years through their involvement in the social movement and regularly discuss their shared attraction to the figure of Makhno. The war in Ukraine has rekindled their desire to make a film, with an urgency increased tenfold by the ongoing drama. In this atrocious war, the question of an outcome that would free the Ukrainian people from the yoke of their neighbor's imperialism and ultra-liberalism, whose devastating effects we also know, is also at stake. What is at stake in this conflict is not only the military question of territorial control but also that of an attempt at real emancipation of the Ukrainian people from all oppression.
Christophe is the author and co-author of numerous documentaries of a social and historical nature. He pays particular attention to focusing on the men and women who resist at their level to different oppressions. We find this approach in his films "The Lost Dream of the River Men", "Class Brothers", "Los Vigilantes", "Counter-fire" or his latest film "On Strike". His camera has often been set in foreign territories: in Peru with "The Lost Dream", in Chiapas with "Los Vigilantes" or in Palestine with "Counter-fire".
Pierre is the author, under the name of Pierre Znamensky, of several works on the arts of propaganda in the Soviet totalitarian system: "Under the folds of the red flag" published by Rouergue, "Sovietart" published by Galilée. He is also the co-author, under the name of Pierre Chamechaude, of several books on the history of anarchism ("The Anarchists, their role, their choices" published by Alternative Libertaire), the social movement or Ukraine ("Ukraine in all letters" published by Syllepse). A member of the CGT, he has traveled to Ukraine three times as part of inter-union humanitarian convoys since the beginning of the war.
Project leaders
The film will be produced by Thélème Films, supported by the Canal Marches association.
Thélème Films has produced several documentary films that give voice to those who fight for their rights and highlight major battles. We can mention "Par la fenêtre ou par la porte", supported by the CNC and which benefited from a theatrical release, "La Marche aux mille voix", also supported by the CNC but also by Procirep-Angoa, "Les Garçons Ramponeau" supported by the CNC and co-produced with France 3 Ile-de-France or "Les Enfants de Denouval".
Canal Marches is an association created by audiovisual professionals, unemployed and precarious workers, and social movement activists. Its ambition is to contribute to the expression and visibility of the “voiceless” and their resistance, and more broadly of people from working-class backgrounds, through the appropriation of the video tool.
For more information:
Project location
France
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