DC/DOX: “Hell’s Army” Captures Investigative Journalism’s Power
Antonio Gramsci was an Italian Marxist philosopher, politician, and journalist. He was born in 1891 and died in 1937. During his lifetime, Gramsci was an outspoken critic of Benito Mussolini and his rise to power. In a notebook Gramsci wrote in during his imprisonment by the fascist government of Italy, he said, “The old world is dying, and the new world cannot be born…Now is the time of monsters.” It’s this quote that opens Richard Rowley’s newest documentary, Hell’s Army, screening as part of the 2026 DC/DOX Film Festival.
Hell’s Army focuses on Katya Hakim, a journalist working in Syria who has found herself at a dead end. Her leads keep going nowhere until she’s sent to cover a mysterious battle at the Conoco Oil Fields. It’s through investigation that Katya discovers the activities of the Wagner Group. They’re a Russian, state-funded, private military company. The more Katya pulls at the thread of the Wagner Group, the more she realizes that this organization has a far larger reach than she initially imagined.
A private military company is just a fancier way of saying mercenary. Hell’s Army informs the audience that we’re seeing the largest mercenary army in two centuries. The Wagner Group, despite being state-funded, is technically its own entity. That allows the Russian government to have plausible deniability when it comes to their actions. The Wagner Group has been operational in Ukraine, Syria, the Central African Republic, and likely more that have yet to be uncovered.
Courtesy of DC/DOX
The work done by Katya and others cannot be fully revealed in Hell’s Army for fear of their own safety. Katya works for The Dossier Center, an organization that tracks the criminal activity of those in power in Russia. Some of Katya’s colleagues are killed during the documentary process because of their investigations. Freedom of the press should exist in every country, but even in those like the United States, that consider themselves to be the most free, journalists are being silenced.
War, in today’s world, is about making money. These conflicts will continue in perpetuity because the rich get richer and the deaths of civilians don’t matter to them. And it’s not just about the money that comes from investing in weapons. The Wagner Group is often sent to areas where it can take natural resources for Russia. Its presence in Africa offers security in exchange for mining contracts to be transferred to Russian companies. Hell’s Army merely scratches the surface of the Wagner Group, which should concern the audience. If journalists have uncovered them, does that mean similar organizations are operating in a more secretive manner?
Hell’s Army features firsthand images of war and all that means. Torture, violence, and brutality are seen through the eyes of those who experienced it. Hell’s Army is difficult to watch, but it needs to be recognized and amplified.
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