Filmmaker Roc Morin on following soldier and actor Pavlo Aldoshyn during the war in Ukraine

What happens when an actor who once played a sniper in a movie becomes a real sniper in war?

In this episode of She's All Over the Place, host Katie Chonacas speaks with director Roc Morin about the documentary MEDUZA, a powerful film following Ukrainian actor Pavlo Aldoshyn from the first days of the 2022 invasion through two years on the front lines.

Before the war, Pavlo was known for the film White Raven and as a contestant on Ukraine's version of The Voice. When Russia invaded Ukraine, he was recruited as a sniper — the same role he had previously portrayed on screen. MEDUZA documents his psychological, emotional and spiritual transformation as he navigates combat, relationships, and identity.

Filmed across Ukraine, Japan, India, Ecuador, and the United States, the documentary connects Pavlo's inner world to global stories, including a Japanese widower searching the ocean for his wife and an Amazonian tribesman describing a lost mythological bridge between earth and sky.

Director Roc Morin, a journalist who has reported on the conflict since 2014, discusses entering Ukraine during the invasion, meeting Pavlo in Kyiv while he was on leave, and filming near the front lines in Kharkiv and surrounding regions.

Topics covered: • The human cost of war • Soldiers and psychological transformation • Documentary filmmaking in conflict zones • Ukraine war reporting • Spiritual identity during wartime • Ethics of filming active conflict • The life of Pavlo Aldoshyn

This episode contains discussion of war and combat experiences.

https://www.rocmorin.com/

ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON FEBRUARY 20 by Buffalo 8

Social Media:

@meduzadoc

@rocmorin

@paldoshyn - Pavlo

@leonova_kata - Katarina