Two films zero in on the perilous work of covering the war in Ukraine

Mstyslav Chernov, director of '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' and Lynsey Addario, the subject of 'Love + War,' discuss empathy and close calls in the line of duty

- Steve Dollar

WAR IN UKRAINE, AND the hazardous role of the journalists who document it, fills the frame in two new documentaries: Mstyslav Chernov's "2000 Meters to Andriivka," which captures the brutal campaign to reclaim a strategic village from Russian control, and "Love + War," E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's portrait of Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict photographer Lynsey Addario. Chernov and Addario recently joined The Envelope for a conversation about the films and their experiences. Here are edited excerpts.

How do you cultivate your relationship with the people you're photographing in these tense and dangerous moments?

MSTYSLAV CHERNOV As you're asking the question I'm thinking, "Is there a real difference when we talk about connection with people while you're making pictures, or you're filming, and just normal life connection?" I don't think it is possible to... enter people's lives in the most vulnerable moments and document their suffering without first connecting to them as much as possible. So first and foremost, you figure out if people need help... and then you start photographing.

So it's the idea of generating empathy?