UKR, 2019, directed by Valentyn Vasyanovych, 108', OV engl. subtitles
(narrative)
Eastern Ukraine, in the near future. A desert unsuitable for human habitation. Sergiy, a former soldier suffering from PTSD, is having trouble adapting to his new reality: a life in pieces, a land in ruins. When the smelter where he works finally shuts down, he finds an unexpected way to cope by joining the volunteer Black Tulip mission dedicated to exhuming the war victims. By working alongside Katya, he realizes that a better future is possible. Will he learn to live without war and accept himself as he is?
This post-apocalyptic drama raises the issue of the shape of post-war Ukraine. What will the country look like a year after the end of war? Will it be blossoming? Will it be capable of embracing happiness? Or will the war remain ever-present even after it is over? In the restrained vision of the director, the catastrophe caused by the war affects first and foremost everyday life and human relations. In this new world, archaeology becomes important only as a skill needed to exhume corpses. All the parts in this film were played by soldiers, volunteers, and veterans of the war in eastern Ukraine.
Best Film in the Horizons section at the 76th Venice International Film Festival in 2019, best film and discovery of the year from the Ukrainian Film Critics Awards in 2020, Best film and Best cinematography at the Ukrainian National Film Awards in 2021.
Guest: Dr. Bohdan Tokarskyi (Lecturer, Slavic Studies, University Potsdam)
Moderator: Daria Buteiko (Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin)
Funded by Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung
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