Porcelain War

Program:

Festival of festivals

Year:

2024

Country:

United States, Australia, Ukraine

Genre:

Documentary

Duration:

87'

Amidst the chaos and destruction of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, 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.

Schedule

Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev

Brendan Bellomo (Director, Writer, Editor) was the recipient of a 2009 Student Academy Award for LIVE ACTION NARRATIVE. Bellomo’s passion for storytelling was first sparked when he was a child. Beginning his career in visual effects, he supervised the 2012 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner and Oscar nominee for Best Picture BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (FOX SEARCHLIGHT).

Slava Leontyev (Director, Film Subject) is a first-time director born into a family of biologists in Ukraine. Merging his love of nature and art, Leontyev has spent his life studying painting, photography, graphic design and art theory. Alongside his wife and longtime collaborator Anya Stasenko, Leontyev now creates the porcelain sculptures featured in this film. He is also a former soldier of the Ukrainian Special Forces and a highly regarded weapons instructor for civilians who are currently defending their country against Russian aggression.

Filmography: Porcelain War (2024), Chupa (2023), Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight) (2012)

Creative team

Director

Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev

Screenplay

Aniela Sidorska, Brendan Bellomo, Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, Slava Leontyev

Camera

Andrey Stefanov

Editing

Brendan Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska, Kelly Cameron

Production design

Music