Event
Location: n-ost media hub, Alexandrinenstraße 2-3, Berlin
The documentary War Correspondent (Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia 2024) follows the experienced radio journalist Martin Dorazín and his life and work in Ukraine. Through the character of the reporter, the film tells the stories of people affected by Russia’s invasion, while at the same highlighting the wider context and the importance of conflict reporting.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with
Inga Pylypchuk (Journalist and documentary filmmaker)
Robert Putzbach (Journalist, FAZ)
Background and context
Martin Dorazín has worked as a war reporter for the Czech (and previously Czechoslovak) Radio since 1990. His career has taken him to war zones around the world, including Afghanistan and the Balkans. In January 2022, anticipating the impending invasion, he left his post as a permanent correspondent in Warsaw for Mariupol, at the time a flourishing Ukrainian port. From the embattled city he reported on the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and after its fall remained close to the heaviest fighting, later taking up the newly-established position of Czech Radio permanent correspondent in Ukraine.
The film follows Dorazín as he travels on assignment through eastern regions of Ukraine and meets civilians who, for different reasons, decided to stay in their hometowns even as the frontline comes nearer. Witnessing their hardships and their resilience, the radio reporter faces the task of translating the untranslatable reality of war to his listeners back home, which comes with a particular set of practical and ethical challenges, among them: How do journalists navigate the tension between their moral obligation to maintain respect to human suffering and their professional duty to inform the public about the scope of atrocities?
As we approach three years since Russia escalated its war against Ukraine into a full-scale invasion, the question remains as relevant as ever.
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