‘Rule of Two Walls’ Trailer: An Intimate Look at the Ukraine War Through the Artists Who Stayed There

Ukrainian artists are the center of director David Gutnik’s documentary “ Rule of Two Walls ,” which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 , where it was recognized with a Special Jury Mention for human rights and artistic expression. After touring festivals worldwide, “Rule of Two Walls” will open from Monument Releasing at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema in New York on Friday, August 16, 2024. Below, IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer.

Here’s the official synopsis courtesy of Monument Releasing: “‘Rule of Two Walls’ is an intimate look at the war in Ukraine, as seen through the eyes of Ukrainian artists who remain in their country to make art as a defiant act in the face of aggression. Using live music performance, painting, street art, and the act of filmmaking itself, it illuminates the war’s psychological frontlines: how to go to a restaurant or bar amid the near-constant blare of air-raid alarms and missile strikes; how to process, react and resist, while having to go about the rhythms of daily life. Blurring the lines between what is seen in front of and behind the camera, the film probes what it means to make cinema in a time of war.

” “Rule of Two Walls” is written, directed, and edited by David Gutnik, who is Ukrainian-American. Producers are Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Sam Bisbee and Stacey Reiss. Cinematography comes from Volodymyr Ivanov and David Gutnik.

The original music was written by Andrew Orkin. Executive producers include Liev Schr.