In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, former Royal Marine Commando and filmmaker Emile Ghessen joins host Liam Garman to discuss his recent film 45 Days – The Fight For A Nation documenting the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, as well as his last three months monitoring the conflict in Ukraine.
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The podcast begins with a reflection of Ghessen’s 12-year career as a Royal Marine, spanning service across the world including Afghanistan and Iraq before working as a high-profile bodyguard.
The pair then discuss Ghessen’s turn toward documentary making, joining colleagues in Syria to document the fight against ISIS in 2017, Ukraine in 2019 and Armenia-Azerbaijan in 2020-21.
45 Days – The Fight For A Nation analyses the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict from a humanitarian perspective, while examining the history of intergenerational trauma in Armenia dating back to the Armenian genocide.
However, when promoting the film in Hollywood – Russia began their invasion of Ukraine, prompting Ghessen to travel to Ukraine to document the day-to-day of life in Ukraine.
Ghessen details his last three months in Ukraine, providing insight into the recent conflict direct from the front lines – including failures within Russian military strategy, irregular warfare behind enemy lines, the recent siege of Mariupol, and a discussion around the hotly debated Azov Regiment.
To learn more about Ghessen, you can visit his page here or view his recent film 45 Days – The Fight For A Nation here.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect Team
Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:
Episode 429: PODCAST: Commercialisation essential to the success of space and defence industry, with Brian Lim
Episode 428: PODCAST: Firebrand topics on Ukraine, Israel, and Australian conscription, with Corporal Matthew ‘Willy’ Williams OAM
Episode 427: PODCAST: Unpacking the surface combatant review with the Honourable Kim Beazley AC
Episode 426: PODCAST: WA ready, willing and able to support defence industry opportunities – Paul Papalia CSC MLA, Minister for Defence Industry and Veterans Issues
Episode 425: PODCAST: Unpacking the independent analysis into Navy’s surface combatant fleet
Episode 424: PODCAST: Bringing together Defence, industry, and academia to drive innovation – Dr David Kershaw, DSTG
Episode 423: PODCAST: Unpacking the role and responsibilities of Parliament’s oversight committees
Episode 422: SPOTLIGHT: How cyber security is essential for the delivery of AUKUS Pillar I, with CyberCX’s Alastair MacGibbon
Episode 421: SPOTLIGHT: Securing freedom of manoeuvre in the electromagnetic spectrum, with DEWC Services CEO Allan Dundas
Episode 420: SPOTLIGHT: Driving efficiency and security in Australia’s defence industry, with Dassault Systèmes’ Francois Mathieu and Shaun Edsall