Real residents of the city also played: director Simonov told details about the filming of the film about Mariupol

Director of the first feature film “20/22”, dedicated to the events of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine (SVO), Andrey Simonovshared details about the authenticity of the events described and the filming process in Mariupol in an interview with Radio 1.

It was previously announced that the film company BBG LLC, with the support of the Internet Development Institute, has completed filming the first feature film series dedicated to the events of a special military operation in Ukraine. The premiere is scheduled for February 23.

Simonov noted that during the creation of the film, the film crew received advice from many experts. One of the co-authors of the script was a fighter of the Somalia battalion, a member of the North Military District and war correspondent Rinat Yesenaliev. This collaboration made it possible to reliably recreate the events, which was appreciated by the Russian military on the front line.

“I think it’s important that culture reflects current events that affect people’s lives. War is one of these events. It seems wrong to me to ignore this,” the director emphasized.

He also explained the choice of Mariupol for filming. Initially, the filmmakers did not consider this city, fearing to send the film crew during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the spring of 2023.

However, it was not possible to find a suitable location in other regions of Russia. It was important to show real destruction caused by fighting, and not by time. Such species could be observed precisely in Mariupol.

In addition, local residents took an active participation in filming, acting as crowd scenes. The director noted that local children, women and elderly people who personally experienced the events will appear in the film. Their stories and experiences helped create a more accurate picture.