The film festival in Cannes will be the scene of political protests again and again this year – on Wednesday a Ukrainian film team will be in focus.

A Ukrainian filmmaker used his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday as a political protest. Maksim Nakonechnyi and his team ran to the sound of sirens at the premiere of his film “Butterfly Vision” on Wednesday.

The participants then unfurled a banner with the inscription: “Russians kill Ukrainians. Do you find it offensive or disturbing to talk about this genocide?” (Like: Russians are killing Ukrainians. Do you find it offensive or disturbing to talk about this genocide?). The participants then held transparent panes labeled “Sensitive Content” in front of their heads so that the faces behind them looked like they had been censored.

“We as Ukrainian artists have to express our attitude and our feelings,” said the film crew. “Every day we hear sirens four to five times, it has now started to become a part of our everyday life.”

Film deals with trauma in the Ukraine conflict

This is the third time this year that there has been political action on the Cannes red carpet. A few days ago, an almost naked woman painted with the Ukrainian flag protested against the rape of war victims. Two days later, a group of activists unfurled a banner to draw attention to the killings of women.

In addition to the director, the protesters on Wednesday included the Ukrainian leading actress Rita Burkovska and the Ukrainian producers Darya Bassel and Yelizaveta Smit. “Sirens are a sound of danger that prepares viewers for the movie ‘Butterfly Vision’ and puts them in the mood to follow the story of the film,” the team said in a statement.

“Butterfly Vision” is screened in the “Un Certain Regard” category at the film festival. The film tells about Lilia, an air force soldier who returns to her family in Ukraine after several months in captivity in Donbass. She will not let go of her traumatic memories of imprisonment.

Before the premiere, Nakonechnyi said he wanted to show that the war does not end with the laying down of arms. A person can overcome even the worst and invisible traces.