Director: Katya Soldak
Category: History, Politics, Sociopolitical, Personal POV, Russia, Ukraine
Production: Katya Soldak: Ante Media, Inc. / U.S.A. 2020
Language: Ukrainian, Russian, English.
Subtitles: English
Length: 85 minutes
Ukrainian-American journalist Katya Soldak, of Forbes Magazine, now living in New York City, tells the story of Ukraine, her country of origin, as it exits the USSR, works through two revolutions, and endures a war with Russia—all through the eyes of her family and friends in Kharkiv, a large Ukrainian city just 18 miles from the Russian border.
”The Long Breakup” is a feature-length documentary about Ukraine’s struggle to escape Russia’s embrace, leave its Soviet past behind and become an independent nation. Ukrainian-American journalist Katya Soldak of Forbes Magazine, now living in New York City, tells the story of her country of origin as it exits the USSR, works through two revolutions, and endures a war—all through the eyes of her family and friends in Kharkiv, a large city near the Russian border.
The documentary takes viewers on an intimate journey that illustrates how big geopolitical changes affect people on a personal level and explores what happens when a nation must fight for the right to choose its future. The tale offers insight into the experience of an immigrant watching her native country go through crises from afar, but, most importantly, it is a personal story about life in the former Soviet republic and the struggle for freedom forming a backdrop to so many lives.
Filmed over the course of a decade, The Long Breakup features an original soundtrack as well as music from Ukrainian and Soviet artists. The film is intended for global audiences with general interests and those interested in the USSR and post-Soviet developments.