In “Porcelain War,” a resilient Ukrainian couple divide their time between two seemingly antithetical pursuits: When enterprising Slava Leontyev isn’t training fellow civilian soldiers in the ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, he and his partner Anya Stasenko are skilled ceramic artists, casting and painting dainty porcelain figurines inspired by local nature and folklore. If the title already suggests something pointed in that disparity, this emotive debut by Leontyev and American co-director Brendan Bellomo leaves nothing to chance in ensuring we get it: Porcelain, we are told, is “fragile but everlasting, and can be restored after hundreds of years.” Lest the point still be lost on us, the couple’s combined voiceover later offers a blunter paraphrase: “Ukraine is like porcelain — easy to break, but impossible to destroy.”
The metaphor is clear enough, then. Whether it’s quite complex enough to sustain a feature-length documentary is another question. “Porcelain War” thrives on contrast,...
The metaphor is clear enough, then. Whether it’s quite complex enough to sustain a feature-length documentary is another question. “Porcelain War” thrives on contrast,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
When Russia invaded Ukraine, artists Anya Stasenko, Slava Leontyev and Andrey Stefanov chose to stay behind and fight. Along with their friends Brendan Bellomo and Aniela Sidorska in the United States, they have made their feature filmmaking debut documenting their lives during wartime and their art. Below, Bellomo, who served as co-director and editor, and Sidorska, who also produced, explain how they came to shape the film’s narrative and built intimacy with the on-screen subjects while coordinating across three continents. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor questionnaire here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor […]
The post “The Rhythms of the Film Mirror Their Artistic Spirit”: Editors Brendan Bellomo & Aniela Sidorska on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Rhythms of the Film Mirror Their Artistic Spirit”: Editors Brendan Bellomo & Aniela Sidorska on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When Russia invaded Ukraine, artists Anya Stasenko, Slava Leontyev and Andrey Stefanov chose to stay behind and fight. Along with their friends Brendan Bellomo and Aniela Sidorska in the United States, they have made their feature filmmaking debut documenting their lives during wartime and their art. Below, Bellomo, who served as co-director and editor, and Sidorska, who also produced, explain how they came to shape the film’s narrative and built intimacy with the on-screen subjects while coordinating across three continents. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor questionnaire here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor […]
The post “The Rhythms of the Film Mirror Their Artistic Spirit”: Editors Brendan Bellomo & Aniela Sidorska on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Rhythms of the Film Mirror Their Artistic Spirit”: Editors Brendan Bellomo & Aniela Sidorska on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Although artists by trade, Ukrainians Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov opted to help their countries fight off the Russian invasion. Their lives, their continued passion for their art and their country are now the subject of Porcelain War, co-directed by Leontyev and Brendan Bellomo, the latter of whom is based in the United States. Below, Stefanov, who also served as the film’s cinematographer, discusses making a film about war-torn Ukraine and the place of the filmmakers within it and how they managed to do it across two continents. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: […]
The post “The Audience Must Be Transported Here to Feel What It’s Like”: Dp Andrey Stefanov on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Audience Must Be Transported Here to Feel What It’s Like”: Dp Andrey Stefanov on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Although artists by trade, Ukrainians Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov opted to help their countries fight off the Russian invasion. Their lives, their continued passion for their art and their country are now the subject of Porcelain War, co-directed by Leontyev and Brendan Bellomo, the latter of whom is based in the United States. Below, Stefanov, who also served as the film’s cinematographer, discusses making a film about war-torn Ukraine and the place of the filmmakers within it and how they managed to do it across two continents. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: […]
The post “The Audience Must Be Transported Here to Feel What It’s Like”: Dp Andrey Stefanov on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Audience Must Be Transported Here to Feel What It’s Like”: Dp Andrey Stefanov on Porcelain War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
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