Porcelain War
BIFF 2024: Best Documentary
Shortlisted 97th Academy Awards: Best Documentary Feature Film
Under roaring fighter jets and missile strikes of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, artists Slava, Anya and Andrey choose to stay behind and fight, armed with their art, their cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, their guns. Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that even though it’s easy to make people afraid, it’s hard to destroy their passion for living.
Follow the journey of this wonderful film:
Screenwriter: Aniela Sidorska, Brendan Bellomo, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Slava Leontyev
Producer: Aniela Sidorska, p.g.a., Paula DuPré Pesmen, p.g.a., Camilla Mazzaferro, Olivia Ahnemann
Executive Producer: Linda A. Cornfield, David J. Cornfield, Sheri Sobrato, Jeffrey Sobrato, Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, Andrea Cayton, Garrett Cayton, Ginny Jordan, Georgia Welles, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, James Balog, Joe Barnathan, Kevin Marciano
Cinematographer: Andrey Stefanov
Editor: Brendan Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska, Kelly Cameron
Animator: BluBlu Studios
Music: DakhaBrakha
Year: 2024
Runtime: 88 minutes
Language: Ukrainian, Russian, English
Country: Ukraine, United States, Australia