A Sniper’s War is the fascinating, disturbing, and intimate portrait of a Serbian sniper named Deki who’s moved to the rebel-declared, Russian-basked republic of Donetsk to lend his murderous expertise to fight off the NATO-backed Ukrainian Army. Blending footage from the frontlines to the kitchens of everyday residents affected by the constant fighting, we learn much about the motivations in that part of the world. Meanwhile, another sniper taunts the primary subject through social media, adding a modern and personal twist to blood-thirsty warfare.
How did you stumble upon this tale? The war in Eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian Army has been raging since 2014. That conflict became one of the the trigger points for the ongoing tensions between Russia and the United States, the two countries I grew up in. And as that war continued, those viewpoints became more opposed and I could no longer see clearly what was between them. That is when I decided to visit both sides of the conflict. In Eastern Ukraine I met Deki, a prominent Serbian sniper fighting with the pro-Russian rebels. I knew nothing about snipers. But I was immediately intrigued by him.
Was it difficult achieving the stunning levels of access that you did? Rarely have I seen such behind-the-scenes footage with an officer as well as harrowing frontline action. Getting access was not easy. At first Deki was convinced that I was an American spy. We were escorted by the military personal at all times and given a very limited access. My cinematographer, Santiago Garcia, was arrested five times wondering on his own around the city. Once on the border with Russia we were interrogated for 14 hours by the Russian Security Service (FSB). Back in New York I got a surprise visit from FBI.