This documentary focuses on Ukranian 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.
Zelenskyy: Citizens At War was broadcast on SBS ONE at Wednesday 10 May 2023, 10:37.
