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Porcelain War

Directed by Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
2024
Australia, USA, Ukraine
90 minutes
Unclassified 15+
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The winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2024 follows three Ukrainian artists who choose to stay behind and fight, defiantly finding beauty amid destruction.

Slava Leontyev sculpts delicate porcelain figures. His partner, Anya, illustrates them with exquisite images inspired by Ukraine’s natural environment. The couple and their dog Frodo live in Kharkiv, not far from the Russian border. As the conflict intensifies, Slava swaps his kiln for the firing range, training people from all walks of life to defend themselves. The couple’s long-time friend, refugee artist and DP Andrey Stefanov, vividly documents the determination of ordinary Ukrainians to hold onto their homes, way of life and memories. Anya’s beautifully animated illustrations and the stirring music of Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha passionately underscore the vibrancy of a culture under threat.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.
Art is, as the documentary makes clear and then repeats, in and of itself a rebellious act and an act of creation to ward off destruction
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Suffused with the golden-hour nature of Kharkiv, the film also features music by Ukrainian force of sound DakhaBrakha which is not easily forgotten
Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International

Special Guest

Camilla Mazzaferro
Producer
Camilla Mazzaferro is a producer who began her career at PWC and RadicalMedia. She produced the feature documentaries My Sister Liv (2022), A Fire Inside (SFF 2021) and was an associate producer on Girls Can’t Surf (2021). She is currently the Managing Director of independent production company FINCH NO WORRIES.

Tickets

Sun 9 Jun
11:45am
State Theatre
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Subtitled
Past Event Cancel
Fri 14 Jun
6:30pm
Dendy Newtown - Cinema 1
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Subtitled
Past Event Cancel
Program Strand
Special Presentations
Year
2024
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Country
Australia, USA, Ukraine
Language
In Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles
Director
Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Producer
Paula DuPré Pesmen, Olivia Ahnemann, Aniela Sidorska, Camilla Mazzaferro
Screenwriter
Paula DuPré Pesmen, Slava Leontyev, Brendan Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska
Cinematographer
Andrey Stefanov
Editor
Brendan Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska, Kelly Cameron
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Genre
Documentary, Festival Award Winners, Human Rights
Company Credits
Production Company: Finch No Worries
Official Website
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