New Directors Competition
Amidst the chaos and destruction of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists find inspiration and beauty while defending their culture and country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, carrying their art, their cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, weapons. Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey embarks on a dangerous journey to get his family out of the country, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for civilians who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and, in small porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava express their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future.
Presented at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the grand jury prize for best documentary, and at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Aniela Sidorska, Brendan Bellomo, Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, Slava Leontyev
Andrey Stefanov
Brendan Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska, Kelly Cameron
DakhaBrakha
Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, Andrey Stefanov, Anya Stefanova
Aniela Sidorska, Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, Camilla Mazzaferro, Olivia Ahnemann
Finch No Worries
Submarine Entertainment
14