'20 Days In Mariupol' and 'Iron Butterflies' focus on Russia Ukraine conflict

KPCW | By Rick Brough

Published January 22, 2023 at 11:49 AM MST

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Mstyslav Chernov, director of '20 Days in Mariupol' (l) and Roman Liubyi, director of 'Iron Butterflies.' (r)

Two films in the 2023 Sundance Film Festival show different angles of the Russia - Ukraine conflict.

A still from 20 Days in Mariupol by Mstyslav Chernov, an official selection of the World Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

"20 Days in Mariupol" focuses on the first 20 days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, during which Mariupol quickly became under seige. Director Mystyslav Chernov says the film is not about soldiers, but about civilians and the human toll of the war.

A poster from Iron Butterflies by Roman Liubyi, an official selection of the World Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

"Iron Butterflies" looks at the beginnings of the conflict, back in 2014, when an investigation into the downing of flight MH17, which killed 298 people, revealed a butterfly-shaped shrapnel found in the pilot's body, and implicated the state responsible for a war crime that remains unpunished.