Eurodonbas (2022)

Donbas is a region in Eastern Ukraine that is currently recognized worldwide due to the fierce war with Russia. Although, not everyone is well-acquainted with the fact, that at the end of the 19th century, Donbas was the center of Belgian, German, French, British, and American settlements. This region housed entrepreneurs from different countries who built architecture, and enterprises; introduced progressive technologies to this region. After the revolution of 1917, and the USSR's rise to power, the factories, and private property were taken from the European and North American settlers, destroying the memory of European history there. In the film, experts, historians, and local people tell their tales and pieces of evidence about the region's history, which was destroyed and distorted by Soviet authorities who worked to erase the legacies of European entrepreneurs like John Hughes, Ernest Solvay, and Henrich Laude. The film crew discovered the unique archival materials which were animated and show Donbas during the 19th century. The documentary film 'Eurodonbas' shows the European heritage of such cities as Mariupol, Lysychansk, Druzhkivka, and New York village in the Donetsk region just before the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. These places of Donbas are well-recognized in the world mass media, as they were almost destroyed by Russian missiles during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.