Renata Stonytė (PDF)
https://doi.org/10.53631/MIS/2024.16.6
With the growing influence of visual rhetoric and the expanding range of communication channels that allow political messages to quickly reach and influence various audience segments, documentary cinema has become an important tool for political communication. Using the documentary styles identified by Bill Nichols and the rhetorical/aesthetic functions of documentaries as defined by Michael Renov, this study aims to examine how Ukrainian filmmakers use documentaries as a tool for political communication, how Ukraine’s transformation and the geopolitical conflict are represented, and what ideological attitudes are conveyed to audiences. The analysis of documentaries produced by Ukrainian filmmakers from the Maidan Revolution to the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 suggests that in most films by Ukrainian directors the narrative is directed at strengthening the Ukrainian civil society in the face of geopolitical conflict, with a clear appeal to Western values regarding state governance and human rights. Ukrainian documentary filmmakers frequently use media to capture and preserve political events. The onset of the Maidan was characterised by observational documentaries, which rely on direct video capture, recording, and rapid production and dissemination. The study found that observational documentary remained essential in later stages, capturing the conflict, Russian intervention, and separatist movements. Additionally, two other documentary strategies actively used in Ukrainian films are the performative and interactive approaches. The performative strategy reveals the creators’ personal connections to the events and their views on citizenship, freedom, and the importance of personal choices, such as participation in the Maidan Revolution or in conflict zones in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, the interactive strategy allows both individual and collective Ukrainian narratives to emerge.
Keywords: political documentary, political communication, representation, rhetorical/aesthetic functions, Maidan Revolution, Russia-Ukraine war