Porcelain War

Ukraine/US/Australia, Feature Documentary, 2024, 88 min

Sundance 2024 U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary

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. Subtitled.

Directed by Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev

Colorado Premiere