Picturehouse today announced it will open Porcelain War on November 22 at IFC Center in New York and on Nov. 29 at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center in the Los Angeles area, followed by a rollout across North America. Watch the exclusive trailer above.
The film has won 30 prizes around the world, including the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance. This past weekend, it earned the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Documentary at the Woodstock Film Festival in New York, as well as the Best Documentary Editing Award. And at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis, it won the Documentary Feature Grand Prize, which comes with a $20,000 cash award.
Porcelain War centers on married Ukrainian artists Slava Leontyev and Anya Stasenko who continue to make delicate yet durable porcelain sculptural works even as their country comes under brutal assault by Russia. Leontyev serves in the Ukrainian army, training soldiers by day, while pursuing his art in off hours. Porcelain War is directed by Brendan Bellomo and Leontyev, with stunning cinematography by another Ukrainian artist, the painter Andrey Stefanov.
A release about the film notes, “Porcelain War — which the Wall Street Journal… described as ‘a combination of whimsy and devastation’ – is a stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the enduring hope and passion of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances. As war ravages their homeland, three artists choose to stay in their native Ukraine, armed with their art, their cameras, and for the first time in their lives, their guns.”
Picturehouse CEO Bob Berney said in a statement, “The filmmakers have boldly created a testament to art and resistance to oppression that goes beyond Ukraine in our chaotic world. The craft and compassion in the film will move and motivate audiences with its global tale of resistance and perseverance that are sure to inspire. Coupled with its powerful message, it is a true cinematic experience that deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
In an interview with Deadline at the Sundance Film Festival, where Porcelain War premiered, Bellomo told us, “The film is about three artists who decided to remain behind in Ukraine and fight back, not only with weapons, but with their art. It’s an incredible honor to be here [at Sundance] and to shine the brightest light on this issue and to show the incredible resilience of the Ukrainian people and the help that they need from the world to be able to continue to fight for their existence.”
Leontyev and Stasenko also came to Sundance for the world premiere, along with their dog Frodo, an endearing terrier who scampers throughout the documentary. Regarding the materials Leontyev uses for his artwork, he told us, “That’s exactly what I love about porcelain, and that’s exactly what I love about Ukraine. Yes, you can break us, but you cannot destroy us.”
Porcelain War is a Songbird Studios Production, in Association with Imaginary Lane, Bob’s Your Uncle, Far Star Media, Sobrato Philanthropies, and Cayton Goldrich Family Foundation. The film is directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev and produced by Paula DuPre’ Pesmen (producer of Oscar-winner The Cove), Aniela Sidorska, Camilla Mazzaferro, and Olivia Ahnemann.
Executive producers include Alan Hicks, Luke Mazzaferro, Rob Galluzzo, Linda A. Cornfield, David J. Cornfield, Sheri Sobrato, Jeffrey Sobrato, Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, Andrea Cayton, Garrett Cayton, Ginny Jordan, Georgia Welles, Amy Carpenter, Steve Carpenter, James Balog, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Michael Anders, Karl Kister, Joe Barnathan, Kevin Marciano, and John Schmidt. Co-executive producers are Robin Chesler, Alice Fiori, William Campbell, and Marsha Garces Williams. Cinematography is by Andrey Stefanov; music is by the Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha.
Source: Deadline
