The Russian Woodpecker

Chad Gracia : 2015

Young, eccentric Ukrainian artist Fedor Alexandrovich was just four years old when the nuclear disaster struck in his hometown of Chernobyl. The event left a deep scar and Fedor, in his quest to learn more about what took place at the nuclear power plant, happens upon the Duga-1, a giant antenna built in Soviet times near Chernobyl, which emitted a regular low-pitched tapping sound and was known as "the Russian Woodpecker". Fedor arrives at a terrifying conclusion that not only explains the radio antenna's role in the disaster but also lays bare the cruelty inflicted on Ukraine by its Russian neighbours. Previous attempts to uncover the truth behind the nuclear disaster have been met with stubborn political obstacles that often border on the sinister. With increasing pressure from loved ones to abandon a project that could put him in serious danger and against the backdrop of a burgeoning revolution, the story of Ukraine's Soviet legacy with its devastating impact of political oppression, finds an uncomfortable parallel in Fedor's moral dilemma to choose between truth and family. Chad Gracia's documentary debut was winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2015, and screened at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015.