Director’s Statement

Thinking about the conflict in the Ukraine, I read about a trilateral peace mission at the Dniester river. This awakened my curiosity: All conflicting parties physically under one roof. To get an idea of such a divided region, I decided to take a closer look at the Republic of Moldova and its breakaway republic Transnistria, where the military confrontation dates back to 1992.

Watching the procedures at the trilateral post no.6 at the idyllic river shore, the Transnistrian conflict didn`t seem very real to me. Both soldiers and residents understood each other well. Why then this military post? I wasn`t allowed to film the Russian tank next to the post. In order to fill these “blind spots”, I built a scenic model of the post. The more I learned about the conflict, the more I felt the urge to expand this cardboard world to the political realm. How real, how simulated is this “conflict” and its never–ending peace finding process, which has become an industry in itself?

The Transnistrian politician I interviewed, speaks of the “real picture” he wants to convey. However, everybody in this conflict presents their version of the conflict as the truth. “Frozen Conflict” is not only a reflection on a peace mission but on the production of images and the subjective perspective of every narrative. It wants to raise awareness for perceptions and preconceptions concerning „East“ and „West“. And more fundamentally perhaps, for our questionable habit to create zones, whether on maps or in our heads.