Original-Cin Q&A: Agnieszka Holland talks about her 'Ukrainian Holocaust' movie Mr. Jones and the lesson of stifling press
Director Agnieszka Holland is well known for her films exploring the darker chapters in Europe’s history, such as WWII and the Holocaust.
Although she didn’t want to go back to that time period, Holland was fascinated when presented with the script for her latest film Mr. Jones, set around The Holodomor, a man-made famine that caused millions of deaths and ravaged Soviet Ukraine between 1932 and 1933.
It’s based on the works of real life Welsh journalist Gareth Jones (James Norton), who travels to Ukraine unprepared for the horror that would confront him there. Not only does he discover that these atrocities are being covered up in Moscow, but he is also forbidden to report on them.
Agnieszka Holland coaches her lead actor James Norton in the Holodomor-themed Mr. Jones.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Agnieszka Holland about why she wanted to tell this story and what she hopes audiences will take from it.
Click HERE to watch the video of Bonnie’s interview with Mr. Smith star James Norton.
Click HERE to read Liam Lacey’s review of Mr. Jones.
Mr Jones is hitting Apple and the Cineplex Store on June 19th, followed by a VOD release across all cable providers on July 3rd
ORIGINAL-CIN: The film takes place during a period that not a lot of people know about. The Stalin-era induced famine called the Holodomor is not really talked about or reported on. Why was it so important for you to make this film now?
AGNIESZKA HOLLAND: “I was mainly interested in this because I strongly felt that some of the themes in the film and during this time period are relatable today.
“For a long time, I’d been thinking and telling people that many of the crimes condoned by the Communist regime are still not talked about. There is no global awareness, whereas the Holocaust, for example, is a known part of human history. Even Russians don’t talk about the crimes committed in the name of Communism, and Stalin killed more than 20 million of his own citizens.”
OC: You must have also been fascinated by how the media was silenced.
HOLLAND: “The point of view of the journalists and the question about the media's duties and obligations, and the corruption of the media, fascinated me. I think they are crucial duties for the survival of our democracy.
“If the media are not allowed to be objective, honest, courageous, investigative and professional, I think democracy will not survive. So that's why I felt some kind of the urgency when I read the script. It is something which speaks about the past. But it inadvertently refers to our time now.”
OC: The film is very topical, and sadly some of it we can still relate to today.
HOLLAND: “The main subject of the film is Holodomor and how Gareth Jones’ crusade is to tell what really happened. He is determined to uncover the truth because it’s in his nature. He is an honest man with a good education and he follows his instincts.
“What really fascinated me was the other important topic of the world’s treatment of Jones’ discoveries. We see how the facts are discredited and distorted, and how ‘fake news’ ultimately wins. And when the truth finally does come out, it means nothing. Nobody cares.”
OC: It’s terrifying for many journalists today who are still being silenced in many countries. In addition, now with the internet, everybody thinks that they are journalists, and it is hard to distinguish between what is real and what is fake.
HOLLAND: “I think that unfortunately, we haven’t learned enough from our history. I worry that the integrity of the global media is undermined in our polarized societies.
“Propaganda is cheap, you don’t need to check it and it can just be invented. I still believe that there are a lot of journalists who want to serve ethics, and think their work is to report the truth. But sometimes they pay a high price. There are so many methods on how to feed the fear, how to manipulate the fear, how to lie to the people and how to use the media to spread propaganda. Now with the internet, of course, it makes an incredible impact at the speed of light.”
OC: James Norton, who plays the Welsh journalist Gareth Jones, is wonderful in the film. He really embraced the role. How impressed were you with him?
HOLLAND: “I believed in him from the start. I knew that it was a very difficult role, because you don't have big gestures. Jones is pretty ordinary. We know he is a smart, decent man, but he is a man of principles and I immediately saw that in James.
“When we spoke, he told me that he wanted to play the role in a minimalistic way, but at the same time ambitious. I didn’t really realize until I edited the film together how good he really was. It was a real pleasure to work with him and I hope that people see his performance.”
OC: I understand that you shot some of the film in a small village in Ukraine which was almost deserted. But you did meet five older ladies who lived there through the famine. You discovered that they really didn’t want to talk about what happened to them - unlike many people who have survived the Holocaust for example, who are encouraged to tell their stories for other generations to learn from.
HOLLAND: “It was a different situation with Holocaust Survivors who I had talked a lot to when I was making my film, Europa, Europa. Even with many Holocaust survivors it took many, many years for them to talk about it, because of the pain and the loss.
“For the Ukrainians, it was extremely difficult for them to live through the Holodomor. They remembered it vividly but they also told us that no one talked about it when they were kids either - even though most of their families had died in the famine - because they were so fearful. It was something that they just did not want to discuss or relive.”
OC: What would you like audiences to take from this film and really think about after they see it?
HOLLAND: “I hope it sparks discussion. I would say to people, ‘Be careful and be courageous. Even if it doesn't pay off immediately. It is important for all of us.’”