Mariinka

Pieter-Jan De Pue Belgium 2026 94 min.

Long before the Russian invasion in 2022, there was already war in the Ukrainian frontline town of Mariinka. Amidst the war, a promising boxing talent becomes a military paramedic, a girl smuggles unexpected goods across the front line to survive, and two brothers now fight on opposite sides of the front line—against each other—while their youngest brother lives safely far from the war with an adoptive family in the United States. For ten years, Pieter-Jan De Pue recorded the slow disappearance of a city, but also the fierce, tragic perseverance of those who once called it home.

BUY TICKETS

Wed 18.03 (20:00)
Kinepolis
UITVERKOCHT
Mon 23.03 (12:00)
Cinema ZED Vesalius
Thur 26.03 (18:30)
Cinema ZED Vesalius

Exactly 10 years after his debut, the renowned The Land of the Enlightened, director Pieter-Jan De Pue returns to DOCVILLE. That's how long it took to make the epic Mariinka. Through letters, video calls, and silent encounters, a story unfolds about connection, national loyalty, and the fault lines through which political conflicts can even trump blood ties.

With his follow-up, De Pue once again proves himself to be an exceptional storyteller and filmmaker who knows how to anchor timeless themes in harsh social reality, resulting in premieres at DOCVILLE and CPH:DOX. 

The screenings on 23.03 and 26.03 are proceeded by the short film Girls and Honey (more info).