Since the beginning of the Russian offensive, actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz has spread numerous statements of support to the Ukrainian people. His Instagram account is even decorated with the colors of Ukraine. To support his approach, Kassovitz accompanied photographer JR to Lviv, Ukraine on Monday, March 14. There the two men installed a gigantic fresco depicting a smiling little girl. A tribute to the locals, visible on land and from the air.
It was in the city of Lviv, about 70 km from the Polish border, that the two men went to inaugurate the new JR facility. It is over 4 meters long and is shaped like a black and white canvas depicting a laughing girl, as reported TF1† A way to remember that children are also victims of this conflict.
Installed near the opera house, the work should be visible from the air, as indicated by Mathieu Kassovitz to the LCI journalists on site. According to him, this painting is a tribute to the Ukrainian people who are planning “to understand this energy so typical of Ukraine”† “What happens in this country should affect the whole world. After the war, there is a country that revolts and will not fall. That strength, that energy, that hope, we all need it today.” said the actor and director, quoted by TF1.
‘If I hadn’t had children, I would have gone’
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the director of Hate shows unwavering support for the Ukrainian people, especially on his Instagram account. Kassovitz had already traveled to Ukraine, on the occasion of the shooting of the series The office of legends† On this occasion, he was able to exchange with the local population at the time of the Donbass War, in 2014. “We quickly understood that in a good way we were dealing with people who were ultra-nationalists, that is, they are proud of their country and absolutely want to protect it”he confided in LCI.
JR’s work is a nod to this “energy” so special for the Ukrainian people. Mathieu Kassovitz, for his part, told LCI that he could have bonded with the Ukrainians had he not had children. “I would have come by their side. In the world we live in, I think what happens there is an absolute limit. If we don’t fight to prevent this, we’ll all be the victims.” said the filmmaker.