‘Militantropos’ Acquired by Square Eyes Ahead of Premiere in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight (EXCLUSIVE)

Sales agent Square Eyes has acquired worldwide rights to the Ukrainian feature documentary “Militantropos,” directed by Alina Gorlova (“This Rain Will Never Stop”), Yelizaveta Smith (“School Number 3”) and Simon Mozgovyi (“The Winter Garden’s Tale”), ahead of its world premiere in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight program.

Wouter Jansen of Square Eyes said “Militantropos” is “a powerful and touching cinematic meditation on the impact of war on everyday life.”

The script is written by Smith, Gorlova, Mozgovyi and Maksym Nakonechnyi, who directed and co-wrote “Butterfly Vision,” selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2022.

“Militantropos” refers to the Latin word for soldier (“milit”) and the Greek word for human (“antropos”), meaning a persona adopted by humans when entering a state of war. “This relentless experience shapes the ongoing transformation of individuals and society as a whole, therefore Militantropos chooses to accept war as the one and only option to exist,” according to a statement.

“Militantropos” explores “human experience in war—those who flee, who lose their homes, those who stay to take up arms and learn to fight. Through the absence of a main protagonist, the film balances individual and collective experiences, emphasizing their relationships and the transformation of their everyday lives,” the statement added. “It follows people’s reaction to hostilities, atrocities and destruction, the transformation of their everyday lives, public interaction and spaces they live in.”

The film is produced by Eugene Rachkovsky for Ukrainian film collective Tabor, also behind “Butterfly Vision,” in co-production with Ralph Wieser for Austria’s Mischief Films and Nabil Bellahsene for France’s Les Valseurs.

Rachkovsky stated: “Our collective started filming as a reflex on the first day of the full-scale invasion. After 11 years of working as a collective and experiencing the war side by side, it felt natural to make a collective document of time and explore war as a phenomenon.”

Wieser added: “We were intrigued by [Tabor’s] approach from our first virtual meeting. Creative filmmakers offering an extraordinary perspective on Ukraine at war.”

Bellahsene said: “War is not just a geopolitical event, it’s a human experience, brutal and intimate. That’s why the work of Tabor, a Ukrainian collective of filmmakers, immediately felt essential to us. Their gaze, deeply anchored in lived experience and artistic integrity, offers a powerful and necessary narrative of this moment in history.”

“Militantropos” received support from the Austrian Film Institute, Vienna Film Fund, ÖFI+, Creative Europa Media, Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport, Special Aid for Ukrainian Artists, the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine in partnership with the CNC, SWR and Arte.

Initial support was provided by the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program with support from Open Society Foundations, the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films, IDFA Bertha Fund, Ukrainian Film Academy’s Post-Production Grant Program in partnership with Netflix, the Ukrainian Institute and Eurimages, Visions Sud Est, Goeteborg Film Fund, IMW: Documenting Ukraine, and Deutsche Filmakademie (Filmboost Germany).

The project was developed and presented at Berlinale Talents, Visions du Réel and IDFA.