A zone of interest. On 24 February 2022, in the first hours of the full-scale invasion, the military forces of the Russian Federation took control of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The security cameras kept running. What if everything that followed was to be told solely through them? Amid the comings and goings of soldiers, Russian journalists, Rosatom <\/i>employees and Ukrainian nuclear technicians, absurd behaviors unfold and the banal collides with the horrific. In a place that has witnessed one of humanity\u2019s greatest catastrophes, the planned meets the accidental.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian director and artist Radynski, familiar to Riga IFF audiences for Infinity: According to Florian<\/i> (2022), continues to explore decolonialism and the most brutal facets of humanity. This time, he uses randomness to portray the almost insect-like occupiers as they stage scenes with radiation-tainted bread, lounge around in NASA sweaters and appear unsure of what they are even meant to do in this radioactive zone. There is no narration \u2013 everything is shown matter-of-factly, yet Radynski\u2019s acerbic tone is unmistakable; hence, we might call this work a \u201cspecial cinema operation\u201d. The video materials have been handed over to the Ukrainian prosecutor\u2019s office and may one day be used in war crimes trials seeking justice.<\/p>\n","images":[{"ID":42609,"id":42609,"title":"SPECIAL OPERATION Still 01","filename":"Special-Operation_KeyVisual.jpg","filesize":1539794,"url":"https:\/\/rigaiff.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Special-Operation_KeyVisual.jpg","link":"https:\/\/rigaiff.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Special-Operation_KeyVisual.jpg","alt":"","author":"21","description":"","caption":"","name":"ae08bac69e424bf48861ee38f0911368","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":0,"date":"2025-09-08 23:57:20","modified":"2025-09-11 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A film that challenges convention by doing less, not more.","additional_content":"","jury_statement":[{"award_title":"RIGA IFF 2025 <\/br> FEATURE FILM COMPETITION","nomination":"SPECIAL MENTION","jury_statement":"
With striking simplicity and precision, this film transforms raw surveillance footage into a powerful act of witnessing. Its detached gaze captures the slow unfolding of violence, revealing the banality of evil. Through detailed editing and subtle sound design, the film allows horror to emerge not from spectacle, but from observation. It exposes the absurdity of aggression and stands as a stark testimony to human endurance and the traces of war.<\/p>\n"}],"logo_on_image_text":"","logo_on_image_image":false,"available":false,"online_only":false,"poster":false,"available_until":"","geographical_availability":"latvia","geographical_availability_custom_short":"","geographical_availability_custom_long":"","subtitle_language_online":[],"cinesend_id":"","online_price":"","online_bs_id":"","collection_mode":false,"collection_screenings":false}