Zelenskyy: Citizens at War on SBS – This documentary focuses on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and how he emerged from being an entertainer and comedian from a provincial corner of Ukraine to become one of the most important leaders in the world today.
The film opens with the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, a day which rocked the world, but also had a serious and immediate impact on families throughout the country, not least the Zelenksyy family in Kyiv. The first choice they had to make proved crucial – to stay or accept the offer from the United States to leave.
Their decision to stay has had a profound impact on how this conflict is seen in Ukraine and beyond, and the film follows the president as he faced the challenges and triumphs of the past year.
We see President Zelenskyy charming and cajoling the Western allies to arm his country, bearing witness to the atrocities in Bucha and Mariupol, greeting crowds of joyful citizens at the liberation of Kherson, and facing up to harsh reality of a winter with no heating or electricity.
And we go on the rollercoaster of his early life starting out in Krivyi Rih, stealing the show with his comedy team in Moscow, dazzling all with his shapes and moves in Dancing with the Stars before prefacing his real political career with his prescient satire Servant of the People, where a teacher accidentally becomes President of Ukraine.
The film shows the impact Zelenskyy has had on the major events of the war over the last year. It follows his efforts to unite his country and galvanise the international community to support Ukraine and includes valuable insights from the First Lady, the Head of the President’s Office, his oldest friend and collaborator, and of course from President Zelenskyy himself.
Zelenskyy: Citizens At War – Premiere – Wednesday, 10 May at 8.35pm on SBS and SBS on Demand
TV Central SBS content HERE
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