‘Ray Donovan’ star Liev Schreiber joins Ukraine’s OUP & Gingers Media documentary

Liev Schreiber

US actor Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) is working with The Organisation of Ukrainian Producers (OUP) and Kyiv-based Gingers Media on a documentary exploring the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Against All Odds: The Failure Of Russia’s Blitzkrieg will be narrated by Schrieber and is being produced by OUP and Gingers Media with the support of Andriy Zagorodnyuk’s Center for Defence Strategies. Artem Lytvynenko directs.

The show’s team traveled along the route of Russia’s advance and talked to witnesses of events along the way, including Ukrainian soldiers defending towns such as Hostomel, Irpin and Moschun.

Ukrainian government ministers and international military experts have also been interviewed, along with US personnel.

Lytvynenko said: “Any film becomes alive once it acquires a voice. Liev Schreiber was extremely engaged in the process, he cares about what’s going on in Ukraine.

“He recently visited Kyiv and saw the destruction with his own eyes, therefore, he understands what he is narrating about quite well. Liev tried to remain unbiased in his narration and refrain from imposing his own emotions onto the viewer. He was also involved in the text adaptation to make it more dynamic and relatable to an English speaking audience.”

The OUP recently confirmed a raft of deals for its documentaries, with HopeBahnhof. Berlin, A Home Lost, Mariupol. Unlost Hope and 9 Lives set to reach 20 countries across Europe. The OUP was founded in March by Ukrainian producers Volodymyr Borodianskyi, Daria Leygonie-Fialko, Alla Lypovetska, Marina Kvasova, Igor Storchak, Victor Mirskyi and Iryna Zaria.

Schreiber was the lead for Showtime drama Ray Donovan and has starred in numerous films ranging from Ransom to the more recent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.