Film about Marinka civilian evacuation wins gold award and Grand Prix at New York Film Festival

Press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs reports.

The documentary film "White Angel – The End of Marinka," which depicts the war in Ukraine and the work of the Donetsk police near the front line, from the German television channel ZDF, received two awards at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards 2024. The film was honored in the "Docudrama" category.

The film "White Angel – The End of Marinka" depicts the destruction of the Marinka city by Russian forces and the heroic struggle of the police to save its residents. "White Angels" is the name of the police units tasked with evacuating people from frontline areas. In Marinka, they worked together with authorities and volunteers to evacuate all civilians before the city was completely destroyed and occupied.

A documentary film is based on footage captured by German journalists in Marinka in 2022, interviews with rescued individuals and law enforcement officers in 2023, as well as recordings from police officers' GoPro cameras. The author and director of the film is Arndt Ginzel.

“This poignant film provides a heartrending glimpse into the devastating impact of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The brave acts of police officer Vasyl Pipa and his team of volunteers in the town of Marinka have been brought to the forefront with unflinching courage and dedication. Their story, emblematically named “White Angels”, symbolizes hope amidst despair,” noted the organizers of the New York Festival.

The film was called “a moving and indelible work that transcends storytelling and bears witness to the realities of war and the enduring human spirit.”

 The "White Angel" group, operating in the Marinka direction, continues to evacuate residents under fire from other settlements being stormed by Russia.