The Other Chelsea – A Story From Donetsk

Zu Beginn der 2010er Jahre sind die Zechen von Donezk in teilweise miserablem Zustand, in der Politik geben Apparatschiks den Ton an, die eigentliche Macht halten Oligarchen in ihren Händen. Einer von ihnen ist Rinat Achmetov, der sich einen eigenen Verein leistet. Die Chronologie der UEFA-Cup-Spiele von Schachtar Donezk liefern den roten Faden, an dem sich die politische Analyse fesselnd aufreiht. Eingestreute Animationen machen die Verhältnisse deutlich, ohne sie zu vereinfachen. So gelingt Regisseur Jakob Preuss im Jahr 2010 eine differenzierte Momentaufnahme einer Region, in der mittlerweile seit acht Jahren Krieg herrscht und unter dem inzwischen das ganze Land leidet.

Donetsk é uma cidade de um milhão de habitantes no leste da Ucrânia e no centro da Bacia Donets. Aqui, a maioria das pessoas recebe salários baixos para trabalhar em minas degradadas, e poucos ganham muito. Independente do lado onde você está, se você é de Donetsk, você quase certamente será contrário à Revolução Laranja e torcerá para o time de futebol local, o Shakhtar Donetsk, onde o bilionário Akhmetov investe pesadamente no time.

The Other Chelsea – A Story From Donetsk

Donetsk, a city with a million inhabitants deep in Eastern Ukraine, is the centre of the Donbass coal basin. Here most people work for low wages in run down mines, while a few make a lot of money. No matter which side of the social divide you are on, coming from Donetsk you will almost certainly be an opponent of the Orange Revolution and a fan of the local football team, Shakhtar Donetsk. Billionaire Akhmetov invests heavily in the club, which is becoming a major European force during the football season followed by the film. Yet this sporting success funded by an oligarch’s fortune only seems to highlight the wider social and political stagnation of the region. Off the pitch, the outlook appears bleak…