“The Interception Game” is a Ukrainian documentary directed by Volodymyr Mula, with a running time of 1 hour and 20 minutes, completed in 2025. Filmed between Ukraine and France, the film intertwines the military and sporting worlds to tell a story of brotherhood, resistance and hope through the universal language of football.
At the heart of the story are the brothers Serhii and Mykola Mykhailenko. Serhii is a commander in the Ukrainian air-defence forces, deployed at the front during the war, while Mykola is a footballer for Ukraine’s Olympic national team, representing his country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. While one fights for freedom on the battlefield, the other fights symbolically on the football pitch, in a parallel that reflects their shared search for dignity and a future for their nation.
Through interviews, archive footage and original filming, the documentary explores how sport – and football in particular – can become a form of cultural and identity-based resistance. The presence of head coach Ruslan Rotan and other figures from Ukrainian football lends authenticity to the story, which shows the impact of sporting victories on the collective morale of a country at war.
“The Interception Game” seeks to convey a message of unity and resilience, highlighting the invisible bond between playing fields and trenches: both places of sacrifice, courage and hope. The project, made with an independent budget of 50,000 dollars, is neither a student film nor the director’s first work.
Completed on 31 August 2025, the documentary is a new example of sports and civic cinema from contemporary Ukraine, in which personal experience becomes a metaphor for national resistance.
Film Information
Title: The Interception Game
Original title: Гра на перехоплення
Director: Volodymyr Mula
Production: Volodymyr Mula
Country: Ukraine
Language: Ukrainian
Running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Sport featured: Football
Protagonist(s): Mykola Mykhailenko, Serhii Mykhailenko, Ruslan Rotan
Completion date: 31 August 2025
Premiere: [Not specified]
Distributor: [Not specified]
Shooting format: Digital, 16:9, colour
Director’s first film: No
Student project: No