Skip to main content
Porcelain War film image; man dressed in army gear holding up a toy lizard

Porcelain War

This event has passed

Most of us, in Canada, cannot truly comprehend a scenario in which our country is invaded and civilians are compelled to take up arms in its defence. Yet for Ukrainians, this is the reality. In Porcelain War, three artists elect to stay and fight — with cameras, their talent, and, yes, with guns. At first, despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in ceramics, Andrey gets 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 between skirmishes, Anya and Slava seek to capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future. Mixing intense conflict footage and moments of deliberation and intimacy, Porcelain War is a vivid reminder of perilous times.

Masterfully illustrates the enduring power of art in the face of adversity.

Awards Daily

Directors

Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev

Credits
Country of Origin

Ukraine/USA/Australia

Year

2024

Language

In Ukranian and Russian with English subtitles

Awards

Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary, Sundance; Best Documentary, Seattle, Heartland, Sudbury, Ashland, Boulder Film Festivals

Nominated: Best Documentary Feature, Academy Awards

Content Warning

Violence, theme of war

19+
87 min

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Screenwriter

Aniela Sidorska, Brendan Bellomo, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Slava Leontyev

Cinematography

Andrey Stefanov

Editor

Brendan Bellomo, Kelly Cameron, Aniela Sidorska

Original Music

DakhaBrakha

Also Playing

The Gleaners and I

Dir. Agnès Varda
82 min

This lovely essay film about the art of foraging is also a self portrait of the artist at 72.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Miracle Worker

Dir. Arthur Penn
107 min

Academy Awards went to Best Actress Anne Bancroft and Best Supporting Actress Patty Duke for their moving portrayals of Annie Sullivan and her remarkable blind and deaf pupil, Helen Keller. "A film that storms where most biopics respectfully tiptoe."

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

In the Mood for Love

Dir. Wong Kar-wai
107 min

Wong Kar-wai's most acclaimed and popular film is a love story about two neighbours (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung) who are drawn together by the long absences of their respective spouses + a newly released short companion piece from 2001.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

In the Heat of the Night

Dir. Norman Jewison
110 min

Sidney Poitier in an indelible role a Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs, pulled in as a murder suspect when changing trains in Mississippi. He allies with bigoted local sheriff (Rod Steiger) to solve the case.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre