Independent distributor All3Media International will handle global distribution for the new documentary "Ukraine's Frontline Fighters," aka "Ukraine: Enemy in The Woods," from filmmaker Jamie Roberts. The documentary marks the debut title of his independent production company, HOYO Films. Launching on BBC Two, it tells the story of frontline Ukrainian fighters as they battle to push back a Russian advance on Ukraine's intensely bombarded Eastern Front. The character-led documentary is a ground-level view of the war through the eyes of the soldiers fighting it.
Filmed over nine weeks, the documentary examines the lives of the 99 strong military companies as they face sustained Russian assaults. Their stories are told through immersive footage filmed by the troops themselves, combined with observational filming and intimate interviews to present an unflinching human portrait of Europe's bloodiest war in living memory.
With access to the tightly controlled frontlines, "Ukraine's Frontline Fighters" follows the mission of a Ukrainian assault company as they undertake a single deployment on one of Ukraine's most violent battlefronts: a snow-covered forest near Kup'yans'k. Their mission is to defend a railway line, a critical strategic asset that, if captured, will enable Russia to mount a direct attack on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv.
Founded by Jamie Roberts, HOYO Films is a London-based independent production company that makes films that focus on people at the center of international stories. Commissioned by BBC Current Affairs, "Ukraine's Frontline Fighters" is directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Jamie Roberts ("Escape from Kabul," "Four Hours at the Capitol," "The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty") and executively produced by BAFTA-award-winning Jonathan Smith.