About the film: Yura, a young nature researcher in southern Ukraine is on a mission to capture photos of an endangered groundhog, so that he can obtain European funding for wildlife conservation. Instead, he is met with arson. In an attempt to find justice, he records what happens and brings it to the press.

Realizing that nobody at his local newspaper cares about justice, he uncovers a whole other layer behind his society while war looms on the horizon. Fake news, rigged political elections, and mysterious cult rituals leave Yura’s idealistic outlook at a loss. On his quest, Yura is about to find out who he really is—an endangered species of a good man or just a loser?

About the director: Roman Bondarchuk is a Ukrainian film director and graduate of the Kyiv Karpenko-Karyi National University of Theater, Cinema, and Television. Roman is known for his feature film Volcano (2018), which premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, screening at more than 50 festivals worldwide and winning 12 awards. One of those 12 awards was the Shevchenko National Prize, the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and the arts. Volcano delves into the lives of people on the southern Ukrainian steppe, living in anarchic freedom, seemingly forgotten by the outside world. Roman also works as an art director of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, and is a co-founder of the Ukraine War Archive project.