The Basement

The Basement is a documentary drama about the residents of Yahidne, a village in northern Ukraine. In March 2022, Russian troops occupied the area and imprisoned the population, including dozens of children, in a school cellar for nearly a month. The film explores the collective trauma of this captivity and the subsequent efforts of the community and local youth to rebuild their homes. It examines the tension between the desire to move forward and the necessity of remembering the experience to heal.

The film was directed by Roman Blazhan, who also directed Generation Ukraine earlier in 2024. Produced by Roman Blazhan and Christilla Huillard-Kann, the project is a joint production between Ukraine and France through Elda Productions and Minimal Movie. With a runtime of 77 minutes, the film has received a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb based on 25 votes.