His real name is Alex, but everyone calls him Koss. Using this name he engages in the computer gamer community, where he spends most of his time, and after joining his local club he even begins playing professionally. He must justify his decisions not only to his distrustful family, but also to himself. Oleh Sentsov’s feature-length debut balances on the edge between fiction film and accurate documentary observation.

Oleh Sentsov

The Ukrainian director hails from Crimea. He made a name for himself with his debut Gamer, which premiered in Rotterdam, and received the Special Jury Prize at the Odesa IFF. His career was cut off when he was arrested by the Russian FSB for protesting the annexation of Crimea in 2014. He was released from Russian prison in September 2019 as part of a Ukrainian-Russian prisoner exchange.