RKS 2023 Film: “Iron Butterflies”

On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17 from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a Russian missile killing all 298 persons aboard the Boeing 777. On November 17, 2022 a Dutch court found 3 of the four Russian defendants guilty of 298 counts of murder imposing a life sentence and a fine of 16,000,000 Euros. It is presumed the defendants reside in Russia or in Russian occupied territory in the Ukraine. Forget extradition!

Russian state television plays musical chairs stating initially a Ukrainian military cargo plane was shot down then says the Ukrainians shot it down in error. Evidence clearly points to a Russian missile launched from a Russian BUC missile launching system. The most damning evidence are pieces of butterfly shrapnel (a hallmark of particular Russian missiles) in the flight crew’s bodies. The Russians say there was no BUC missile launching system in occupied Eastern Ukraine once again contradicted by the evidence.

Remember that in war propaganda flows from all the combatants and perhaps there is some Ukrainian propaganda (or bias) in the documentary showing how barbaric the Russians can be for example with photos of Russian paramilitary with fists pumped and guns raised sitting on the wreckage of the plane. What sick animals. The propaganda machine seems heavily at work from the Russian side. Note that in subtitles where Russia is described it is always “russia” not “Russia”. The Ukrainian State Film Agency and the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation were involved with the production of the film.

Creative use of Soviet propaganda films, telephone camera clips, animation, dance, black and white cinematography and mime lift the documentary. At the end of the day 298 innocent victims paid the price for either Russian negligence or intent. Take a close listen to the intercepted communications from the Russians about a “birdie” in the sky. Seems to me they knew what they were doing.

Directed by Roman Liubyi.

You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0oxLf8zcnE

Theatrical release in Canada on August 25^th. The theatres screening the film are ;

Cineplex Cinemas Queensway, Etobicoke

Landmark Whitby, Whitby

Landmark Kanata, Ottawa

Cineplex Odeon McGillivray Cinemas, Winnipeg

Scotiabank Theatre Saskatoon, Saskatoon

Cineplex Cinemas Normanview, Regina

Landmark City Centre, Edmonton

Cineplex Odeon International Village, Vancouver

RKS 2023 Film Rating 74/100.