Occupation 1968 centres around the Soviet Union’s occupation, also known as the Warsaw Pact invasion, of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. The documentary is told from the perspective of the soldiers from the countries that made up the Warsaw Pact. The five countries made up the Warsaw Pact were, the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany and Hungary, the documentary is therefore split into five short films, one for each nation. Each film looks at the soldiers who were involved in the invasion and their lives 50 years on, focusing on the extent of their involvement and their reflections on invading, what was generally thought to be at the time, an allied nation.
The five short films are anchored through the event of the occupation, but also around the question of how individual accountability can be measured in the face of authoritarian state coercion. Occupation 1968 provides a valuable look at a poignant moment in history, while also posing important questions for our current social malaise, as the agency of the individual is currently being questioned globally in the face of what appears to be the overpowering forces of big business, political elites, and climate change.
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