Expired January 30, 2023 6:55 AM
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On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by Russian forces over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The reality of this attack, and its possible ramifications for the then-ongoing war in Donbas and the West’s relationship with Russia, was immediately questioned by the Russian government and media. As voluminous evidence — including physical artifacts like the butterfly-shaped shrapnel found in the bodies of the pilots — piled up, the lies denying reality only became more outlandish and incredible.

In a world where violence can only be defended by lies, and lies only maintained by violence, Iron Butterflies presents the truth of what happened to MH17, but also what was at stake by not confronting it. Director Roman Liubyi uses a wealth of visual material and individual testimonies to craft this artful yet evidence-driven examination of a turning point in recent world history. This act of mass murder not only destroyed so many people’s lives and the possible future that they could have built — it contained the seeds of the future we now live in.

Available in person and online.

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    84 minutes
  • Language
    Ukrainian, Russian, English, Dutch
  • Country
    Ukraine/Germany
  • Director
    Roman Liubyi
  • Screenwriter
    Roman Liubyi,Mila Zhluktenko
  • Producer
    Andrii Kotliar,Volodymyr Tykhyy,David Armati Lechner,Isabelle Bertolone,Trini Götze
  • Cinematographer
    Andrii Kotliar
  • Editor
    Roman Liubyi,Mila Zhluktenko
  • Production Design
    Volodymyr Liubyi
  • Composer
    Anton Baibakov
  • Sound Design
    Andrii Rohachov