A challenge to those who question the war in Ukraine brings a film crew and three Putin sympathizers directly into its reality. This documentary road movie follows their journey from the Czech Republic to Kharkiv and the Donbas, where they come face to face with the consequences of the ongoing war.
Saturday, April 11, 7 PM | screening | TICKETS
Change My Mind / dir. Robin Kvapil / 2025 / documentary road movie / Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine / Czech with English subtitles / 100 minutes
In August 1968, Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia. More than half a century later, two Czech men and one Czech woman travel in the opposite direction—across Ukraine toward the front line—to witness Russian aggression they have dismissed as “complete nonsense.”
Director Robin Kvapil invites them on this journey as the protagonists of his tragicomic road movie. Confronted with bombed cities and the testimonies of people who have lost their homes and loved ones, the travelers face a reality that challenges their convictions. The film becomes both a portrait of Ukrainian resilience and a reflection on how easily people can cling to their own truths even in the face of human suffering.
Director: Robin Kvapil / Screenplay: Robin Kvapil / Cinematography: Prokop Souček / Editing: Libor Alexa / Music: Adam Boháč, Jonáš Rosůlek "Needles" / Sound: Martin Tauber / Producers: Jakub Drocár, Jakub Pinkava
“The city of Kharkiv lies only about thirty kilometres from the Russian border. You can sit in a café having a latte and avocado toast for breakfast, yet artillery fire is almost always audible in the distance. I felt a deep responsibility for the entire crew and enormous respect for the Ukrainians who are trying to live and survive in these conditions.” — Jakub Drocár, Punk Film
Robin Kvapil (born 1982) studied theatre directing at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) and documentary filmmaking at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU). He works as a director of theatre productions, television series, and documentary films, including Everything’s Gonna Be Fine (2017) and Citizen Miko (2022).
Kvapil has also been active in public life, co-founding the Žít Brno! civic movement and serving as an advisor to presidential candidate Michal Horáček. He documented that campaign in the film We Can Do Better (2018).
