Watch Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom For Free

Good movie but grossly overrated

Admirable film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The first thing that I have to say, maybe 103 minutes are not enough to tell everything about this event, but documentary's director have made an amazing job with this film, I have watched perfect images from a dangerous environment. Now, the documentary shows us two faces of the people. I haven't seen an army as coldness as this one presented in the film. They have faced people that fight for their rights, the citizens have explode, they are tired of those people that cheat them. The other face has come from citizens, the have been united to claim for a free nation, they have shown the love for a real nation. I feel proud of this kind of people. Passion can make us to do the things better or worst, that's what I liked from Ucranian citizens. "Feel free to experiment a lot of emotions in this film, feel free, because freedom is the last thing to lose".

Winter on Fire is about Ukrainians and their idealism and bravery. it puts you there on ground with activist for one and half hour. the Director and his team makes you feel like they are actual war correspondents. and the in between conversation with the people who witness this event in actual in truly inspirational.The brutality of Berkut(Ukrainian force) is totally intolerable in the documentary. but the Courage of Ukrainians will always motivate you that the Power in United with People and No buddy Not any Government can defeat it by use of any Force or by Violation.The Documentary is punctiliously researched, and deeply jolting account of the Ukrainian people's uprising. Must Watch.

"Winter on Fire" is a beautiful and important film. It tells the story of an amazing show of collective humanity that culminated in a revolution in Europe's largest country, a country most Americans knew next to nothing about. Ukraine's story of its "Euromaidan Revolution" has been all but hijacked by a newly aggressive Russia. "Winter on Fire" takes back the people's story, with breathtaking scenes from the front- lineson Maidan Square. It's a must-see for anyone who is interested in history, geopolitics, Russia, the Soviet Union, civil rights, collective action, or anyone who just wants to experience a powerful human story.Ukraine has become part of our geopolitical vocabulary. And it's all because of "EuroMaidan," a movement that began as a student protest in a public square ("Maidan" in Ukrainian) in the fall of 2013 and ended in the winter of 2014 as the Ukrainian people's Revolution of Dignity, changing not only Ukraine, but the world.The story of those 93 days in Ukraine's capital is the subject of this electrifying new documentary by Russian-born American director Evgeny Afineevsky. Fittingly for a film about a people's revolution, Afineevsky assembled a people's crew of no less than 28 cinematographers as well as participants and witnesses to chronicle the dramatic events as they unfolded to make history in the streets of Kyiv, giving rise to a civil rights movement that successfully ousted a corrupt political regime.At the center of any film about a people's revolution is of course the people. And "Winter on Fire" delivers a gripping account as seen through the eyes of a cross-section of participants on the front-lines. As the movement evolved in response to government actions. Afineevsky takes us along for the sometimes joyous and sometimes painful ride with the people in front of and behind the cameras. Rarely does he turn to explanatory narrative. Instead, "Winter on Fire" immerses its viewers in the voices of the people and sounds on the square. Afineevsky intersperses dramatic footage from the streets with interviews of many of those same participants returning to the scene of the events. The film moves like a novel, weaving back and forth from elements of narrative to character. In this way, we learn as well as experience the story as it progresses and the participants as they transform through various stages of the revolution."Winter on Fire" also has a gentle, and, at times, haunting original score composed by Jasha Klebe, which helps the audience cope with the more explicit scenes of violence. Having followed the events at the time, I can honestly say, "Winter on Fire" manages to capture the remarkably inspiring and idealistic spirit exhibited over those many days by the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians that filled central Kyiv's Maidan. Everyone was there. People from all walks of life came to Maidan, from different cities and regions and even beyond Ukraine's borders. Young, old, soldiers, teachers, hipsters, engineers, doctors, professionals. Even runaways, like the streetwise 12-year old boy who helped out by charging cell phones among other things. Russian speakers and Ukrainian speakers as well as Muslims, Christians and Jews all worked together. People set up kitchens so no one was hungry. There were tents dedicated to media and technical equipment. Concerts, speakers, poets, politicians came to the stage in an orderly manner. Schedules of events were posted daily. Everything on the square seemed to work like a well-oiled machine."Winter on Fire" is not only about the power of ordinary people to mobilize and effect extraordinary societal change. It's also about people believing in a power they don't even recognize they possess until something awakens it. It could be someone touching a hand to start a human chain. It could be sparked by music, performed by professionals and amateurs alike on the square. It could be hearing and joining in singing of the national anthem. It could be witnessing something so shocking to the conscience, human instinct takes over. In all of these cases, as the film demonstrates, the instincts that emerged in Kyiv, even under crisis conditions, brought people together rather than divide them.Things could easily have gone very differently. For most of those 93 days, the atmosphere was almost like that of a festival. But as the riot police began beating people indiscriminately, Maidan's numbers only grew, as did Maidan's spirit. "Winter on Fire" puts that spirit on full display. And it is that powerful blend of unity, diversity, purpose, determination, ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, and dignity that over the course of 93 days forged a new identity for Ukrainian citizens and Ukraine as a new European nation.Although the director didn't set out with an agenda, he recognizes that his film also counters various myths and propaganda about what really happened on Maidan, without sugar-coating the violent last days. EuroMaidan was no uprising by violent extremists who staged a coup d'etat, as some have tried to portray it. To the contrary, "Winter on Fire" shows that Maidan was an amazing expression of collective humanity at its highest levels, people uniting in a universal desire for a voice, for a government that's accountable, for a society that's fair and decent, for a future of dignity for your children.The universal theme in Afineevsky's "Winter on Fire" is what makes a film about Ukraine's fight for freedom important for Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike. At a time when cynical American and European politicians exploit people's fears and differences, it's easy to take our fundamental values for granted. Watching the truly remarkable Ukrainians in "Winter on Fire" reminds those of us in countries that have fought our battles for equality and dignity, that there is still much work to be done, that civil rights and democracy require constant work and struggle.

A very interesting documentary, great footage with inspiring people fighting for a cause they believe in. The viewer is presented to an idealistic, but informative account of the uprising in Kiev, Ukraine. We follow the events through Euromaidan, following demonstrators in their revolt against Yanukovych. We also get a glimpse of the different types of protesters, their Ukrainian nationalism and pro-European sentiment. This, along with the documentary's footage, is what makes "Winter on Fire" great.Even though I would recommend this documentary, it's important to note that the documentary is very biased. We hear almost nothing about what's going on in the Ukrainian Parliament, it leaves out facts and generally paints a very one-sided picture. Either way, watch it.