Past screening

The Distant Barking of Dogs

Directed by: Simon Lereng Wilmot
Runtime: 1hr 31min Year: 2017
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Directed by: Simon Lereng Wilmot
Runtime: 1hr 31min Year: 2017
Country: Denmark, Sweden, Finland

Ten-year-old Oleg and his grandmother live in a village called Hnutove in Ukraine, which has become the frontline for the armed conflict between the government and pro-Russian separatists. Oleg explores the war-created wasteland by day, as bombs shake their house every night.

Since armed conflict broke out in Ukraine in 2014, the small village of Hnutove has suffered the brunt of it. Ten-year-old Oleg and his grandmother have remained, while many have fled. They take shelter in a makeshift bunker as the rumble of shelling and gunfire threatens. During the days, Oleg roams the countryside with his cousin Yarik, finding adventure in their isolation.

Their innocent games teeter into violence as a local teenager takes them on tours of deserted army barracks and introduces them to using a gun. Meanwhile Oleg’s grandmother remains a rock of warmth and comfort for the boys, in the eye of a relentless storm.