Jakob Preuss Director of ’The Other Chelsea’

In 2004 you were working as an observer of the elections in Ukraine. What did you think of the blue movement back then and did your perception change while shooting your film?

When I was there as an observer, people were very distrustful towards me. It improved after a while when they realized that I was able to speak Russian quite fluently and that I actually could get some of the points on their political agenda. I do understand, for example, why they want to be allowed to have Russian as a second official language there. Also, I personally don’t agree with the biased position the EU was taking towards Ukraine. But when I came back, I also realized that the political leaders of both big parties are totally irresponsible.

While watching your film, one could get the impression that the Ukrainian political culture is a pretty archaic one with an almighty oligarch at the top…

That’s exactly what it is like! It’s the same hierarchies that have been there during Soviet times – only today they are combined with radically uncontrolled capitalist elements. Most people actually have a longing for a strong man at the top. Of course, people joke about those in charge when they are in their private homes, but in the end, they are quite content with the situation. After all, the oligarchs are successful in their fields of business, so people think that they know what they are doing. And there’s also some hope that at some point the elites will be finished enriching themselves and start to do something for the people, too. But you can hardly believe the political culture there – and I’m referring to both the blue and the orange side! Right after the revolution there was some hope for a change. But all the people who went into politics back then got replaced by the oligarchs again or simply gave up after a year or so. Political change in Ukraine means only that different people are allowed to make themselves richer for a while.

When it comes to football, your protagonists are very fond of Europe and ecstatic when FC Shakhtar Donetsk wins the UEFA Cup. But on a political level, their hopes are linked with Moscow. How come?

Well, that’s as true as it is irrational and probably not intelligible for foreigners. I have the feeling that they are also Europeans in their hearts – at least when we are talking about the standard of living. From that perspective, a glamorous event like the UEFA Cup is a symbol for that wish. To me, the whole pro-Russian agenda of the blue side is part of a controversial strategy. The oligarchs, too, would profit from a reliable legal system like in the EU while doing business. And Putin himself isn’t a big fan of the blue leadership at all. For him, cooperation with a pro-European politician like Timoshenko was much easier.

How did people in Ukraine react after watching your film?

The first screening took place in Kiev and it got quite a good reaction there. The whole thing got very popular and received a lot of attention. Even the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine was commenting on the film. After that, I had to screen it quickly in Donetsk, of course. People had already heard about my “scandalous film” and it was quite crowded.

What are your next projects about?

Right now, I’m working at the German parliament and on a DVD version of The Other Chelsea, with some extra material. I also started to work on my next film and already received some funding. It’s going to deal with the situation on the borders between the EU and non-EU countries. For this I will also be visiting Ukraine again.

By Jens Geiger