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The blockbuster film Rise of the States, about the work of war correspondents, has been released in Ukraine. Vlada Liberova and Vasilisa Stepanenko shared their impressions of the work of their on-screen colleagues

11.4.2024
2
min read

On April 11, the all-Ukrainian release of one of the most anticipated films of the year — Blockbuster”Rebellion of the States” director Alex Garlandfrom the famous American independent company A24.This ribbon is on a budget 75 million dollarswas the beginning of cooperation between A24 studio and distribution company Green Light Films. The studio is known to viewers for such films as the Oscar-winning “Everything Always and at the Same Time”, “Moonlight”, as well as the hits “Lady Bird”, “Solstice”, “Lobster” and others. On the eve of her new work, the guests of the pre-premiere screening were the first to see, among which there were many military photographers and correspondents, whose work is mentioned in the cinema. Among them - Vasilisa Stepanenko and Vlada and Konstantin Liberov.

The action in “Insurrection of the States” takes place in the near alternate future of the United States, where a civil war unfolds. A team of military photojournalists bravely heads to the White House, heading across the country and risking their own lives to document reality. Together with them, the audience goes to the forefront of utopian tomorrow, who is waiting for an incredible exciting cinematic world of action with an inevitable stunning ending. The film has a real star cast - the main roles were performed Kirsten Dunst(“Melancholy”, “Interview with the Vampire”), Nick Offerman(“The Last of Us”) Wagner Moura(“Narco”), Jesse Plemons('Flower Full Killers', 'Let the Shore') and star of the biopic 'Priscilla' Kylie Spacey. And the director of the tape Alex Garlandis well known to the audience for such hits as “Ex Machina”, “Annihilation”, “Male Genus” and “28 Days Later”.

No country is immune from terrible events. And one of the biggest mistakes that countries can make is to believe that they are exceptional and will not be affected by the problems experienced by others. Such reassurance is false, said director Alex Garlandi. Abandoning basic values, decency and respect, people are very quickly able to drive themselves into the expanses of total madness. Unfortunately, individuals and states do not take much time to reach this level of insanity“.

Presenting the film at the pre-premiere screening, the CEO of the distribution company Green Light Films  Veronika Yasinskanoted that the films of the A24 film studio are already a kind of sign of quality, because in 12 years of work the company received 55 Oscar nominations and won 16 of them, in particular, with the films “Everything Always and at the Same Time” and “Moonlight”. “Insurrection of the States” with a budget of $55 million became the most expensive A24 project.

The movie “Insurrection of the States” is like a call for dialogue about our future. This is a road movie with very deep meanings. Of course, there is a lot of action, because it is not in vain that this film was shot with IMAX cameras. But above all, it is a powerful reminder that the worst thing that can happen to humanity is war. And this war is shown here through the eyes of war reporters and photographers”, said Veronika Yasinska.

The partner of the premiere became Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), and the special guests of the show are its members, who cover and record the events of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Among them, in particular, Vlada and Konstantin Liberov, whose photos from the war are known all over the world.

The film “Insurrection of the States” is devoted to the work of war photographers. And it is to this work that my husband and I devoted the last two years of our lives— she said Vlada Liberov. ---- Although, perhaps, the word robot is inappropriate here. It's not a job, it's a vocation. When such terrible events unfold before your eyes in your country, the decision to go into the heart of this chaos, in the direction from which everyone on the contrary leaves, is perceived as an impulse and as a very important call. Just as someone voluntarily picks up a gun to defend their home, military photographers and journalists pick up a camera to defend the truth. Not the truth that everyone has their own, but the one that is the only and true. And who will suffer first if no one comes to her defense“.

Liberov's government recalled that more than 70 journalists died during the Russian-Ukrainian war, many were injured. “A fragment of Russian hail is still in my body. But this is nothing compared to the wounds that remain in the heart and psyche of every military photographer and journalist from what has been seen and experienced. And yes, it is that price that we pay for work whose value is often difficult to appreciate in the moment, but which will definitely be appreciated by subsequent generations“.

Interestingly, director Alex Garland in his films and scripts often seems to predict the future — for example, for the 2014 fantastic film Ex Machina, he is almost called a prophet. Now critics pay attention to the fact that Garland began work on the script of the film “Uprising of the States” four years ago, and the film will be released precisely in 2024 - the year of the US election. And it could be the last work of the director, because he recently announced that after “Uprising of the States” he plans to complete his directorial career.

Journalist and producer of the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” were the guests of the pre-premiere screening of the film “Uprising of the States” Vasilisa Stepanenko, photographers Vlada and Konstantin Liberov, actor and director Akhtem Seitablayev, journalist Roman Kravets, singer Ivan Marunich, singer Marie Cheba.

This film reminds the world that war is happening now. And although events unfold in the United States, in reality the war continues in Ukraine, and this is a reminder that this is a problem of the whole world, not just ours. I was reminded of many moments in the film that depict the work of journalists in these realities, show losses. After all, in our work we experience many similar moments and complex emotions, like the main characters in the film” — shared Vasilisa Stepanenko.

The film “Uprising of the States” will be released in Ukrainian cinemas and IMAX April 11 at the same time as the world premiere. Screenings of the tape in Ukraine are available with audio commentary for people with visual or hearing impairment.

The official synopsis of the film: A thrilling adrenaline journey through a splintered America, balancing on a razor blade.

Start date: 11.04.2024

Format: 2D, 4DX, IMAX

Country: United States, United Kingdom

Runtime: 109 minutes

Genre: action

Director: Alex Garland

Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Kylie Spenny, Sonya Mizuno, Jesse Plemons, Nick Offerman, Carl Glusman

The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Tatiana Landesman
Photo editor: Marusya Maruzhenko
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar

On April 11, the all-Ukrainian release of one of the most anticipated films of the year — Blockbuster”Rebellion of the States” director Alex Garlandfrom the famous American independent company A24.This ribbon is on a budget 75 million dollarswas the beginning of cooperation between A24 studio and distribution company Green Light Films. The studio is known to viewers for such films as the Oscar-winning “Everything Always and at the Same Time”, “Moonlight”, as well as the hits “Lady Bird”, “Solstice”, “Lobster” and others. On the eve of her new work, the guests of the pre-premiere screening were the first to see, among which there were many military photographers and correspondents, whose work is mentioned in the cinema. Among them - Vasilisa Stepanenko and Vlada and Konstantin Liberov.

The action in “Insurrection of the States” takes place in the near alternate future of the United States, where a civil war unfolds. A team of military photojournalists bravely heads to the White House, heading across the country and risking their own lives to document reality. Together with them, the audience goes to the forefront of utopian tomorrow, who is waiting for an incredible exciting cinematic world of action with an inevitable stunning ending. The film has a real star cast - the main roles were performed Kirsten Dunst(“Melancholy”, “Interview with the Vampire”), Nick Offerman(“The Last of Us”) Wagner Moura(“Narco”), Jesse Plemons('Flower Full Killers', 'Let the Shore') and star of the biopic 'Priscilla' Kylie Spacey. And the director of the tape Alex Garlandis well known to the audience for such hits as “Ex Machina”, “Annihilation”, “Male Genus” and “28 Days Later”.

No country is immune from terrible events. And one of the biggest mistakes that countries can make is to believe that they are exceptional and will not be affected by the problems experienced by others. Such reassurance is false, said director Alex Garlandi. Abandoning basic values, decency and respect, people are very quickly able to drive themselves into the expanses of total madness. Unfortunately, individuals and states do not take much time to reach this level of insanity“.

Presenting the film at the pre-premiere screening, the CEO of the distribution company Green Light Films  Veronika Yasinskanoted that the films of the A24 film studio are already a kind of sign of quality, because in 12 years of work the company received 55 Oscar nominations and won 16 of them, in particular, with the films “Everything Always and at the Same Time” and “Moonlight”. “Insurrection of the States” with a budget of $55 million became the most expensive A24 project.

The movie “Insurrection of the States” is like a call for dialogue about our future. This is a road movie with very deep meanings. Of course, there is a lot of action, because it is not in vain that this film was shot with IMAX cameras. But above all, it is a powerful reminder that the worst thing that can happen to humanity is war. And this war is shown here through the eyes of war reporters and photographers”, said Veronika Yasinska.

The partner of the premiere became Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), and the special guests of the show are its members, who cover and record the events of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Among them, in particular, Vlada and Konstantin Liberov, whose photos from the war are known all over the world.

The film “Insurrection of the States” is devoted to the work of war photographers. And it is to this work that my husband and I devoted the last two years of our lives— she said Vlada Liberov. ---- Although, perhaps, the word robot is inappropriate here. It's not a job, it's a vocation. When such terrible events unfold before your eyes in your country, the decision to go into the heart of this chaos, in the direction from which everyone on the contrary leaves, is perceived as an impulse and as a very important call. Just as someone voluntarily picks up a gun to defend their home, military photographers and journalists pick up a camera to defend the truth. Not the truth that everyone has their own, but the one that is the only and true. And who will suffer first if no one comes to her defense“.

Liberov's government recalled that more than 70 journalists died during the Russian-Ukrainian war, many were injured. “A fragment of Russian hail is still in my body. But this is nothing compared to the wounds that remain in the heart and psyche of every military photographer and journalist from what has been seen and experienced. And yes, it is that price that we pay for work whose value is often difficult to appreciate in the moment, but which will definitely be appreciated by subsequent generations“.

Interestingly, director Alex Garland in his films and scripts often seems to predict the future — for example, for the 2014 fantastic film Ex Machina, he is almost called a prophet. Now critics pay attention to the fact that Garland began work on the script of the film “Uprising of the States” four years ago, and the film will be released precisely in 2024 - the year of the US election. And it could be the last work of the director, because he recently announced that after “Uprising of the States” he plans to complete his directorial career.

Journalist and producer of the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” were the guests of the pre-premiere screening of the film “Uprising of the States” Vasilisa Stepanenko, photographers Vlada and Konstantin Liberov, actor and director Akhtem Seitablayev, journalist Roman Kravets, singer Ivan Marunich, singer Marie Cheba.

This film reminds the world that war is happening now. And although events unfold in the United States, in reality the war continues in Ukraine, and this is a reminder that this is a problem of the whole world, not just ours. I was reminded of many moments in the film that depict the work of journalists in these realities, show losses. After all, in our work we experience many similar moments and complex emotions, like the main characters in the film” — shared Vasilisa Stepanenko.

The film “Uprising of the States” will be released in Ukrainian cinemas and IMAX April 11 at the same time as the world premiere. Screenings of the tape in Ukraine are available with audio commentary for people with visual or hearing impairment.

The official synopsis of the film: A thrilling adrenaline journey through a splintered America, balancing on a razor blade.

Start date: 11.04.2024

Format: 2D, 4DX, IMAX

Country: United States, United Kingdom

Runtime: 109 minutes

Genre: action

Director: Alex Garland

Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Kylie Spenny, Sonya Mizuno, Jesse Plemons, Nick Offerman, Carl Glusman

The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Tatiana Landesman
Photo editor: Marusya Maruzhenko
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar

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