PORCELAIN WAR - Finding beauty in a war zone
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
co-directors
Brendan Bellomo
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Slava Leontyev
Under roaring fighting jets, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya and Andrey stay behind, defiantly finding beauty amid destruction. Armed with art, cameras and for the first time in their lives, guns, they show that while it’s easy to frighten people, it’s harder to destroy their passion for living.
In this interview, co-directors Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev discuss the perils of filming beauty in a war zone. Nature and art are the guiding lights in this moving story about defiance and resilience. The first filmmaking lesson given over zoom by Brendan in LA to Slava and Andrey in the Ukraine was how to turn the camera on.
Slava, Andrey and Anya filmed their daily life, the quiet of their home, their walks in nature and on the battlefield, which is only ten minutes away by car, their friends going to war.
The documentary captures what it is like to walk in their shoes and it is impossible not to be awed by their bravery in the face of the worst kind of violence. It is a film about ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. One they did not choose, yet do not run from.
Find out what's in their cabinet of curiosities, a selection of inspirations and favourite things, at the end of the interview. Their surprising things are guaranteed to surprise you. To quote Anya “It is critically important to smile at times.”
Very Laboratory.
Time: 22 minutes
Interview by: The Labortatory Arts Collective
Filmed by Miguel Arcilla
Sound by Royce Hall
Footage courtesy of Picturehouse
In Partnership with
very laboratory