The Mariupol invasion and the abandoned animals of Ukraine are the focus of documentaries acquired by Beta Film (EXCLUSIVE)

Beta Film has acquired the international distribution rights to the Ukrainian documentaries "Mariupol. Unlost Hope" and "9 Lives" through its subsidiary Autentic Distribution, the commercial arm of the documentary label Autentic, which is owned by the production and Munich-based distribution.

"Mariupol. Unlost Hope" shows the war in Ukraine through the eyes of ordinary people who lived through the first month of Mariupol's invasion. Based on the diaries of local journalist Nadia Sukhorukova, the film is directed by Maksym Litvinov and produced by Volodymyr Borodyansky.

"The film has no author voiceovers, no narrative," Litvinov said. "It's a truth film with stories of peaceful people inside the war. They tell them simply and without fear: what they saw, what they felt, what happened to them. "

Describing it as a chronicle of the "systematic destruction" of the city of half a million people, the director added, "Anyone can watch 'Mariupol' and experience [the invasion] and find out what it was like there."

Elsewhere, "9 Lives" is a film about the volunteers who risked their lives to save animals from areas abandoned in the wake of the Russian invasion. The film is directed by Igor Goma and produced by Alla Lipovetskaia and Marina Kvasova, with Yurii Mukulenko as creative producer.

Both films are supported by the Organization of Ukrainian Producers (OUP), a group of seven Ukrainian television and film producers established in March to document the Russian invasion and its impact on Ukraine. The group has produced six documentaries and a feature film, the first to be shot in Ukraine since the start of the war.

OUP members are Volodymyr Borodianskiy (media manager), Victor Mirsky (co-founder of the Film.UA group), Daria Leygonie-Fialko (founder and producer at SPACE Production), Alla Lipovetskaya (founder and producer at Mamas Production), Iryna Zaria (founder and producer at Ukrainian Production Studio), Maryna Kvasova (founder and producer at Mamas Production) and Igor Storchak (founder and producer at Gingers Media).

“We are grateful to our colleagues at Autentic Distribution who have actively participated in the creation of OUP's documentary projects. Their tremendous experience is the key to the success in the sale of our films,” said Storchak. us international sales is, first, the reach and number of people who will see the truth about the war in Ukraine, and second, the money we can spend on filming new documentary projects and supporting professionals involved in the war . Ukrainian industry."

Mirjam Strasser, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Autentic Distribution, added: "We are very proud to be the worldwide distributor of these two documentaries from renowned Ukrainian producers. The film 'Mariupol. Unlost Hope' recounts the first weeks of the blockade of Mariupol through the eyes of a very strong woman. It's a super impressive and deeply shocking movie with a great storytelling, and we think Autentic should deliver it everywhere.

"The film '9 Lives' shows the war through the fate of animals: cats, dogs, lions, horses and others. And, of course, through the eyes of the animal-loving people of Ukraine. Anyone who loves animals will be absolutely moved by this movie,” Strasser added.

Watch the official trailer for '9 Lives' below:

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