‘Rule of Two Walls’ Trailer: An Intimate Look at the Ukraine War Through the Artists Who Stayed There

Ukrainian artists are the center of director David Gutnik’s documentary “Rule of Two Walls,” which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 , where it was recognized with a Special Jury Mention for human rights and artistic expression. After touring festivals worldwide, “Rule of Two Walls” will open from Monument Releasing at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema in New York on Friday, August 16, 2024. Below, IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer.

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Here’s the official synopsis courtesy of Monument Releasing: “‘Rule of Two Walls’ is an intimate look at the war in Ukraine, as seen through the eyes of Ukrainian artists who remain in their country to make art as a defiant act in the face of aggression. Using live music performance, painting, street art, and the act of filmmaking itself, it illuminates the war’s psychological frontlines: how to go to a restaurant or bar amid the near-constant blare of air-raid alarms and missile strikes; how to process, react and resist, while having to go about the rhythms of daily life. Blurring the lines between what is seen in front of and behind the camera, the film probes what it means to make cinema in a time of war.”

“Rule of Two Walls” is written, directed, and edited by David Gutnik, who is Ukrainian-American. Producers are Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Sam Bisbee and Stacey Reiss. Cinematography comes from Volodymyr Ivanov and David Gutnik. The original music was written by Andrew Orkin. Executive producers include Liev Schreiber , Natalia Libet, Lance Acord, Jason Weinberg, Brett Etre, Jackie Bisbee, Michelle Booso, and Gil Elbaz. Emily McCann Lesser serves as co-producer.

In a statement shared with IndieWire, Schreiber said, “After Russia’s full-scale invasion, I co-founded BlueCheck Ukraine. In partnership with UNITED24, President Zelensky’s fundraising platform for Ukraine, our initiatives have been directing urgent financial support and local life-saving efforts to the front lines. Since February 24 of 2022, I have visited Ukraine often to support our joint efforts.

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“One of the places I traveled to in Ukraine is Borodyanka in the Bucha region, where I joined a group of journalists working to raise awareness about the war crimes committed there. I would later learn that during this time, David Gutnik and his local film crew were shooting a documentary, ‘Rule of Two Walls,’ in the same neighborhood. I was introduced to David and his production team of Ukrainian artists. The film’s subjects, as well as the crew members, traveled from Kyiv, Irpin and Bucha to Lviv, and brought with them eye-opening testimonies and footage of their encounters with the Russian invasion.

“In David’s film, I saw the embodiment of the resilience I observed during my time in Ukraine: the profound spirit, sense of nation and history emboldened by an existential war. As an artist in my own right trying to do all that I can to help Ukraine, I responded to the film’s focus on Ukrainian artists processing the brutality of the war, while using their art to fight back. This honest and intimate portrait of the first months of the war resonates deeply with me. It is my hope that we can reach as many people as possible with this timely and moving film.”