Porcelain War

Last updated
Porcelain War
Porcelain War.jpg
Official poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Brendan Bellomo
  • Aniela Sidorska
  • Paula DuPré Pesmen
  • Slava Leontyev
Produced by
  • Aniela Sidorska
  • Paula DuPré Pesmen
  • Camilla Mazzaferro
  • Olivia Ahnemann
CinematographyAndrey Stefanov
Edited by
  • Brendan Bellomo
  • Aniela Sidorska
  • Kelly Cameron
Music by DakhaBrakha
Animation byBluBlu Studios
Production
companies
  • Finch No Worries
  • Imaginary Lane
Distributed by Picturehouse
Release dates
  • January 20, 2024 (2024-01-20)(Sundance)
  • November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)(United States)
Running time
98 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Australia
  • Ukraine
Languages
  • Ukrainian
  • English
  • Russian
Box office$25,213 [1] [2]

Porcelain War is a 2024 documentary film directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev. It won the 2024 Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and follows the experience of Ukrainian artists as they face the current Russian occupation in Ukraine. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Premise

Porcelain War follows Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov during the war in Ukraine. All of them join the Ukrainian defense, [6] and Slava works as a machine gun trainer. Even as the war goes on, Slava and Anya create porcelain figurines [7] in resistance to the war. The film emphasizes the purpose of art during conflict as well as national pride. [8] The soundtrack for the movie features music by Ukrainian Folk/ethno-chaos band DakhaBrakha who gave their entire discography for the film with a scene of their live performance during the credits.

The footage in Porcelain War includes Ukrainian landscape as well as the wreckage caused by war missiles. [6]

Production

War footage for Porcelain War was captured by GoPro action cameras and aerial drones. [8] The movie also features hand drawn and CGI animation scenes from Polish company BluBlu Studios.

Release

The film won the Grand Jury Prize for the U.S. documentary category in the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. [9] Bellomo, who created the film along with Leontyev, explained that the film received an award "because of the bravery of the people of Ukraine". [10] The film was also sponsored by the Utah Film Center. [6] In August 2024, Picturehouse acquired distribution rights to the film. [11]

Reception

Writing for Canada's POV Magazine , Courtney Small said the war footage in Porcelain War, "walks a fine line between praising the resilience of Leontyev's people and serving as a propaganda tool for the Ukrainian army." He further writes that the film is more interesting when it focuses not on the war itself but on its everyday impact on the people. [8]

Accolades

AwardDateCategoryRecipientResultRef.
Sundance Film Festival 28 January 2024 U.S. Documentary Grand Jury PrizePorcelain WarNominated [12]
Sarasota Film Festival 14 April 2024Special Jury MentionWon [13]
San Francisco International Film Festival 28 April 2024Best Documentary FeatureNominated [14]
Seattle International Film Festival 27 May 2024Best DocumentaryWon [8]
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival 22 September 2024 Audience Choice: DocumentaryWon [15]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 10 November 2024 Best New Documentary Filmmaker(s) Brendan Bellomo & Slava LeontyevNominated [16]
Best Political DocumentaryPorcelain WarNominated
Cinema Eye Honors 9 January 2024 Audience Choice PrizePending [17]
Outstanding ProductionPaula DuPre' Pesmen, Aniela Sidorska, Camilla Mazzaferro and Olivia AhnemannPending
Outstanding CinematographyAndrey StefanovPending
Outstanding Visual Design Brendan Bellomo and BluBlu StudiosPending
AACTA Awards 7 February 2025 Best Documentary Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Camilla Mazzaferro, Aniela Sidorska, Paula Du Pré Pesmen, Olivia AhnemannPending [18]
Producers Guild of America Awards 8 February 2025 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Porcelain WarPending [19] [20]

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References

  1. ↑ "Porcelain War (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Porcelain War – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  3. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (2024-01-27). "'Porcelain War' Review: Intimate Reflection on Making Art in Wartime Ukraine Is Beautiful but Frustrating". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  4. ↑ "Sundance's top prizes go to 'In the Summers' and 'Porcelain War'". Los Angeles Times. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  5. ↑ "'In the Summers' and 'Porcelain War' win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival". AP News. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  6. 1 2 3 Roka, Les (24 January 2024) [January 24, 2024]. "Sundance 2024: Porcelain War is extraordinary testament in new frame of documentary filmmaking about war combat, indispensable presence of art". The Utah Review.
  7. ↑ Painter, Ryan (January 20, 2024). "Sundance 2024: 'Porcelain War' is a testament to the resiliency of the people of Ukraine". KVAL 13.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Small, Courtney (2024-01-23). "Porcelain War Review: The Fragile Nature of Conflict". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  9. ↑ Olsen, Mark (January 26, 2024). "Sundance's top prizes go to 'In the Summers' and 'Porcelain War'". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Associated Press. "'In the Summers' and 'Porcelain War' Win Top Prizes at Sundance Film Festival". U.S. News & World Report.
  11. ↑ Carey, Matthew (August 14, 2024). "Oscar Contender 'Porcelain War,' Documentary On Remarkable Artists In Wartime Ukraine, Acquired By Picturehouse". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ The Complete List of 2024 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners|Sundance Film Festival
  13. ↑ "'Thelma,' 'Sugarcane,' and 'Alok' Win Top Prizes at the 2024 Sarasota Film Festival". IndieWire. 15 April 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Anderson, Erik (May 1, 2024). "'Sugarcane,' 'The Teacher' Earn Awards at 67th San Francisco International Film Festival as SFFILM Enters a State of Change". Awards Watch. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ "‘The Count of Monte-Cristo’ big winner at Cinéfest Sudbury". Sudbury.com , September 27, 2024.
  16. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (October 14, 2024). "'Sugarcane' Leads Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (October 24, 2024). "Cinema Eye Honors: 'Girls State', 'Ren Faire' Lead Broadcast Nominees; Audience Choice Award Longlist Revealed". Deadline . Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Boy Swallows Universe and Robbie Williams biopic lead 2025 AACTAs". ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  19. ↑ "2025 PGA Awards – Documentary Motion Pictures Nominees" (Press release). Los Angeles: Producers Guild of America. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  20. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (December 10, 2024). "Producers Guild Awards Reveals Documentary Nominations". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
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