Leonid Kanter

In 2003, he founded an independent film studio Lizard Films which he directed over 50 short films and several feature-length documentaries. In 2007, he founded the Obyrok art village, a space for artists and cultural events, in Chernihiv.^[3][1]

In 2014, he co-directed War at Our Own Expense, a documentary highlighting the experiences and inadequate provisions for soldiers of National Guard of Ukraine.^[5] At the time of shooting, Kanter was enlisted as a volunteer of the 2nd Battalion of National Guard.^[6][7] Later, he left military service and chose to focus on documentary filmmaking. This was followed by The Ukrainians (2015), which depicted volunteer fighters defending Donetsk Airport. The documentary featured wide-angled footage of the battle at the airport alongside testimonies from soldiers of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps.^[7] His final film, Myth (2018), co-directed with Ivan Yasniy, chronicled the life of Vasyl Slipak, a Ukrainian opera singer who left his career in France to volunteer with the Ukrainian army and was killed in the war in Donbas.^[4][8]

On June 4, 2018, Kanter was found dead in Obyrok from a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities ruled his death a suicide, citing a note found at the scene. He is survived by his wife and three children.^[2][6]