Soldier Anastasia Blyshchyk is making a documentary about the late journalist Oleksandr Makhov
Anastasiya Blyshchyk, a journalist turned soldier, is making a documentary titled "Journalist" based on the frontline video archive of her fiancé, the late soldier and journalist Oleksandr Makhov, reports FREEDOM TV.
The documentary is about war, life, love and the struggle for freedom and Ukraine's independence. The film features exclusive footage of the first months of the full-scale invasion from Oleksandr's personal archive, as well as the memories of his brothers in arms. The work on the film began in February 2024.
Oleksandr Makhov. Photo by Oleksandr Makhov on Facebook
Oleksandr had told Anastasia that he wanted to make a documentary based on his video archive. Now she is bringing his dream to life.
"Sasha essentially bequeathed it to me. I need to bring it to life. On May 9, on the day when Sasha was buried, at St. Michael's Cathedral, I was given a small bag containing Sasha's watch, phone and tokens. I knew he had been recording everything on his phone. And one day, when he caught some Internet connection, he texted me: 'I have already thought of a title of my future documentary. The film will be called 'Journalist.'' So I don't have to come up with any other title today," Anastasia said.
The producer Ivanna Slobodyaniuk says that the documentary is about preserving memory.
"A film about Oleksandr Makhov. A film about the heroic battle for Dovhenke village. We were there. We saw it with our own eyes – the village, destroyed completely. This is a film about preserving memory, it is a memorialization of memory. It says that Oleksandr Makhov has been gone for almost three years now, but his name lives on, people know about him, people ask about him," she said.
The documentary will be screened not just in Ukraine, but also abroad.
Who is Oleksandr Makhov
Oleksandr Makhov served in the UAF separate assault brigade No. 95. He was killed in action on May 4 near Izyum, Kharkiv oblast, aged 36. In his civilian life, Oleksandr worked for the channels "Dom", "Ukraine", and "Ukraine 24".
A month before his death, he recorded a video for Anastasia Blyshchyk, proposing to her with a hand grenade ring instead of an engagement ring.
On June 23, "Ukraine 24" correspondent Anastasia Blyshchyk spoke about Oleksandr Makhov at the opening of the photo exhibition about journalists working in wartime, The War Is Not Over Yet.
Makhov was posthumously awarded an Order "For Courage" III degree.
In December 2022, Ostrovsky St. in Izyum was renamed after the deceased journalist and soldier Oleksandr Makhov.
In April 2024, the high-speed tram station "Zholudeva Street" in Kyiv was renamed after Oleksandr Makhov.
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