“We started this film from the very first hours of the full-scale invasion”: Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi and Yelizaveta Smith Militantropos at Cannes Film Festival 2025

Created by Ukrainian film collective Tabor – comprising Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi and Yelizaveta Smith – Militantropos is a powerful and poetic documentary that draws from the lived realities of a nation changed by war. At its core is the philosophical concept of “Militantropos” – a fusion of militant and anthropos – which the film uses to capture and explore how prolonged conflict reshapes human identity.

In conversation with The Upcoming, Gorlova, Mozgovyi, and Smith spoke about their collaboration with Ukrainian philosopher and soldier Alexander Kamarov, who coined the term and whose frontline insights lend the film both intellectual depth and emotional gravity. They reflected on documenting the shifting landscape of Ukraine since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, the ethical and logistical challenges of filming amid conflict, and the power of their collective creative process in shaping a work that confronts war not just as a political event, but as a deeply human experience.

Christina Yang

Militantropos does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event, visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.