"Number 17; My House of Horrors" follows the tragic transformation of a single-family home in Vuhledar, Ukraine, amidst the destructive forces of war. The story begins with Marina, a homeowner who, along with her husband and two children, built her dream home on Sadovaya Street, 17, in Vuhledar. This house was a symbol of love, family, and stability, filled with the warmth of daily life and celebrations. But when war struck in February 2022, their home became a place of unspeakable sorrow, and their lives were abruptly upended.

Olexii’s story provides a harrowing account of survival. Once an IT graduate, his life took a drastic turn when he was captured by Russian forces and held as a POW in the basement of Marina's home. His journey is one of starvation, injury, and suffering, but also of a miraculous rescue and, ultimately, hope.

Fima, a Russian naval infantry soldier, represents the other side of the war. A former diving enthusiast from Vladivostok, he evolves into a key figure in Russian war propaganda. Footage of him searching through Marina’s house, even browsing her family photo albums, reveals the chilling ways in which personal spaces are invaded and repurposed during conflict. Fima’s transformation from civilian to soldier underscores the complex and often dehumanising nature of war.

Thirty years ago Soviet citizens woke up and saw Swan Lake on TV. A putsch began in the USSR: part of the party elite removed President Mikhail Gorbachev from power. The GKChP members tried to tighten the screws and take away freedom from the media. The journalists then fought the censorship and won. In 2021, the profession of a journalist in Russia will be called prohibited: dozens of people will become “foreign agents” and will be forced to leave Russia, and many independent media will recognize them as “undesirable”.