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Укр The Da Vinci movie continues its journey across Europe: France supports screening in Prague
The premiere screening of a documentary film about the Ukrainian soldier Dmytro Kotsyubail, better known as "Da Vinci", was held in Prague, RFE/RL reported. The event, organized by "Prague Maidan" with the support of the Ukrainian Embassy, the French Institute in Prague and Kinovart, attracted the attention of spectators from different countries. The collected funds will be used to support the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion.
On November 5, 2024, a documentary about the Ukrainian soldier Dmytro Kotsiubailo, known by his friends and comrades-in-arms as Da Vinci, was screened in Prague. The film, created by Ukrainian director Volodymyr Sydko, is a tribute to the Hero of Ukraine. In the film, the authors collected testimonies from his family, comrades-in-arms, and even Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to tell the story of Dmytro's journey from a young activist to a commander who inspired and protected his men.
The film's producer, Nazar Borushok, shared the story of the film's creation. During a meeting with Dmytro at a military base in Avdiivka in 2020, he saw how respected the commander was among his men. “I felt that his story deserved to be told to the world. At first, I thought about a feature film, but in the end it became a documentary with a different ending than I had imagined at the time,” the producer admits.
The film contains rare footage from Dmytro's personal filming with a GoPro during the fighting. In particular, the audience saw a reconstruction of one of the first Da Vinci battles, which the authors created using artificial intelligence and illustrations. The film also featured Dmytro's voice to convey his story about those events.
Among the guests of honor at the screening was the French Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Stéphane Cruzart. He emphasized that France has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the war and continues to provide assistance. “France is with you in this war. We are helping with everything we can, from military support to cultural cooperation,” the ambassador said. Crusart also announced that France will provide Ukraine with Mirage 2000 aircraft, and about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are undergoing training in France.
The screening evoked an emotional response from the audience, who actively asked questions to the authors of the film. Nazar Borushok, an actor by profession, said that it was through a theater production where he played the role of Dmytro that they met.
The film about the Hero of Ukraine has already been shown in Ukraine, the UK, the US, Hungary, Poland, Austria, and Lithuania. It continues its journey across Europe, telling the story of Dmytro's courage and the struggle of the Ukrainian people.
The Association of Ukrainian Banks became a partner of the documentary “Da Vinci ‘The Association of Ukrainian Banks became a partner of the documentary ’Da Vinci”, providing charitable support from 20 financial institutions. This assistance made it possible to complete the filming of the movie and organize its screenings throughout Ukraine and abroad.
