« Carnets d’Ukraine is a journey » 
 

PostED ON 14.10.2025

Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius left for Ukraine in November 2023. He returned with six notebooks, the Carnets d'Ukraine, a series of portraits of remarkable women and men. 

© DR

How would you define your book, Carnets d'Ukraine?

First of all, it should be noted that all proceeds from the sale of the book go to a donation platform, UNITED24. Carnets d'Ukraine is a journey, the culmination of a tangible long-term commitment to a population at war. This is my fifth or sixth trip to Ukraine. With this book, I tried to create something that reflects my perspective as a very privileged French citizen in the drastic context of a war zone. I needed to maintain a human perspective by sketching portraits of people like you and me who are fighting.

What do your drawings add to this book?

Drawing allows for intimacy with those I have met. It is much easier to have a deeper discussion around a drawing. There is a story of time involved. Even if the drawings were not done on the spot, the Ukrainians knew that I was going to draw them. Drawing also allows you to detach yourself from the setting and focus on someone's expression at a given moment. I put the information in order of importance. I emphasise the gaze. Finally, although the drawings here are classic and realistic, they are not an exact reproduction of reality, like a photograph might be. This leaves much more room for the viewer's imagination.

What is the right distance to keep in a war zone when you are a visitor?

That is exactly where the complexity lies. The delicate issue is how to convey what you see. The right place is the one the Ukrainians tell you, the one they show you. It is the place where life provides a real contrast to the absolute horror of war. There is a place for laughter, a place for fear.

What did you take away from this experience?

Visiting a combat zone – and I don't claim to have understood everything – puts everything into perspective. For more than fifty years, I believed that war was part of Europe's ancient history. The fact that it is once again at the centre of our concerns changes our perspective on everything, on the brutality of debates, the fragility of democracy, the fact that nothing can be taken for granted – all these questions become very real. Asking ourselves these questions now gives us time to reflect on them and to experience many things differently.

 Virginie Apiou

Cinema event 

AT THE FESTIVAL VILLAGE Tuesday 14, 6 pm
With Michel Hazanavicius,  réalisateur
Discussion on the Carnets d'Ukraine (Allary), followed by a book signing session

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